The Bump in the Partnership
by Col3725
Summary: Booth and Brennan decide now is the perfect time to expand their family. Will it go as planned?
1. Chapter 1

**_So here's my attempt at a hiatus fic..._**

* * *

Brennan sat on the couch, sipping at her wine, her body twisted to watch Booth putter around in the kitchen; he insisted on making her a waffle sundae, something she was still unsure of even after he explained it to her. She tried to refuse, but in response, he had just shook his head and said, "It's breakfast _and _dessert, Bones. What could possibly be better than that?"

She took another big gulp of her drink and stood up, walking over to one of the large windows overlooking the front yard. It was starting to snow, a thin layer coating the grass already. _Christine will be exciting when she wakes up in the morning if the warmer temperatures slated for tomorrow, according to the weather forecast, are false and it stays this cold. _Lost in thought, she didn't notice Booth slide up behind her and place his hands on her hips, his body pressed against her back.

"Ooh, snow." His eyes lit up. "I hope it sticks." He paused. "C'mon, Bones. The waffles are piping hot. I even put some fresh raspberries and blueberries on it for ya. Now it's healthy."

"Adding fruit to something doesn't make it healthy, Booth. This dessert is still high in sugar, fat, and carbohydrates." She followed him over to the couch, picked up her fork, and just stared at the concoction he had set on the coffee table. She could barely make out the Belgian waffle on the bottom, as it was hidden below a mountain of whipped topping and melting ice cream. He had drizzled some chocolate syrup on it, as well, and added some rainbow sprinkles. There was a cherry on top and as he had mentioned, there were berries scattered around the edge of the plate. To her, it looked more like a mess than any dessert she'd ever seen.

"Well, are you going to take a bite? It's good, I promise. I mean, have I ever made something you didn't like?" He gave her a huge smile, his eyebrow raised.

She shrugged, poked at it with her fork, and sighed. She cut a small sliver of the waffle and made sure she had a good helping of the other toppings before tasting it. Surprisingly, it was delicious. She kept eating it until she couldn't stomach any more and pushed the plate away.

He finished the rest, put the dirty plate in the dishwasher, and returned to the living room. He plopped down beside her and draped his arm over her shoulder. He clinked the beer bottle against her now nearly empty wine glass and took a sip. He smirked at her. "Good, huh?"

"I must admit that it was better than I imagined it to be when you first mentioned it." She paused and groaned, resting her hand on her abdomen. "I ate too much."

His eyes were drawn to her stomach and he swallowed. He blinked, shaking his head to rid himself of the memories that suddenly popped up.

She leaned into his side and drank the remainder of her wine. "I believe I have what Angela refers to as a food baby."

He coughed, choking on his beer. "What? Baby?"

She tilted her head and stared at him. "Huh?"

"Uh, never mind. How about some music?" He got off the couch and grabbed the remote off the mantel. He pointed it at the stereo and skipped ahead a few tracks before he got to one that he liked and thought fit the mood of the evening. He lowered the volume a tad and walked over to her. He dropped the remote into his pocket and held out his hand. "Want to dance?"

She smiled at him and reached up, taking his hand without hesitation. She leaned down to put her glass on the coffee table and followed him to the spot in front of the bar where they'd have enough room to move around.

He snaked his arms around her back and closed his eyes, slowly swaying back and forth.

She snuggled into his neck and exhaled. She was relaxed; whether that was a side effect of the two glasses of wine she consumed, the soft music, or Booth's presence, it didn't matter. She felt him stiffen when "Baby, it's Cold Outside" came blasting out of the speakers. She leaned back and looked at him. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Nothing," he said and quickly changed the song.

Not satisfied with his answer, she stepped out of his arms completely and snatched the remote from his hand. She clicked off the stereo and stared at him. "You seem distracted or uncomfortable and I don't understand why."

"I—." Deciding to pull off the band aid, he blurted out, "Let's have a baby."

She blinked, her eyebrows furrowing. "What?"

He took her hand and dragged her over to the couch. He sat down and pulled her down next to him. Keeping her hand in his, he rubbed his thumb over it and cleared his throat. "Let's have a baby," he repeated, his voice softer.

"You're serious?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I mean, Christine's almost five and we're not getting any younger. If we're gonna have another baby, we should do it sooner rather than later." He decided to appeal to her logical side first. "Don't you want another baby?"

She swallowed. "We've never discussed this before."

"Well, let's discuss it _now_." He paused, squeezing her hand. "I think it's the right time. Holding Sweets' son reminded me what it's like to hold such an innocent little life in your arms for the first time. And I saw the way you looked at him; you were in awe. Parker's and Christine's births were so different, but they were both so magical. Being a father, or a mother," he added, "there's nothing either of us will ever do that is as important as that." He sighed and when she didn't say anything right away, he said, "Say something. Please."

"I—."

"Before you shoot it down, just think it over, Bones. Sleep on it, talk to Angela, do whatever you have to do, but don't say no before you've had a chance to really think about what I'm asking here." He paused. "I know it seems like this came out of nowhere, but I've been thinking about this since Daisy gave birth."

She stared at him for the longest time before she let out a breath and allowed a small smile to creep onto her face. "Okay."

"Please, just think about this before you—wait, okay?"

She laughed, giggled, actually. "Yes. Let's have another baby."

His smile returned and his eyes got brighter. "Really?"

She nodded. "I want to have another baby," she said with more confidence.

"Yes!" He jumped up and did a little dance. If he wasn't so happy, he'd be embarrassed by his actions. "We're having another baby?"

"Well, I am not pregnant yet, Booth."

"But we're gonna try?"

She smirked. "Yes, and I've heard it's very fun—trying for a baby, I mean." She paused. "Would you like to start now?"

"Would I?" He laughed. "What kind of question is that, Bones? Of course I want to."

"Because it just so happens it's a very opportune time. I'm currently discussing alternative birth control methods with my gynecologist and therefore am not on any form of birth control. I was going to suggest you wear a condom when we make love until I come to a decision, but since we've decided to try and conceive, that won't be necessary." She paused. "I am also ovulating."

He groaned. "Stop talking."

"Booth, knowing my ovulation schedule is important if we're going to be trying for a child."

"Keep that stuff tucked away in that beautiful brain of yours." He tapped the middle of her forehead. "Having a baby is supposed to fun. Screw schedules and what not. If we make love x amount of times in a month, one of those times is bound to result in a baby. It doesn't matter when you're _ovulating,"_ he shuttered and emended his statement when she gave him a look that suggested he was an idiot for even thinking that, "Okay it does matter, but I don't need to know about it. We'll just continue what we're doing. I mean, it worked last time didn't it?"

She smiled. "Our judgment was impaired then."

"Just go with the flow, Bones."

She nodded. "Are we still going to have sex tonight? Because all this talk about making love has me very aroused and we shouldn't waste—."

He captured her lips with his, already working to unbutton her jeans. "Shut up," he muttered against her mouth, pulling her pants, attempting to get them off her hips.

She lifted herself off the couch and shimmied a little until he had gotten her jeans passed her knees. She relaxed again, tugging him closer. She dropped her hand from the nape of his neck and slid it down his back to the hem of his shirt. She moved her other hand from his thigh and pulled his shirt up over his head.

He separated from her to yank off his shirt and throw it to the side. He didn't take much time reestablishing contact; his lips were back on hers within a minute. He ran his hand over her upper body, groaning when she scooted forward and sat in his lap, her legs wrapped around his waist. "Bones," he mumbled, slipping his hand under her blouse, sighing as his fingertips touched her warm, bare skin. He paused for a brief second, his hand flat on her lower abdomen, before she snapped him back to reality by sucking hard on his bottom lip. It wasn't long before her shirt was gone too.

She tugged on his belt, unbuckling it. "Off," she ordered, pressing her chest against his as she deepened their kisses.

He nodded. "You gotta," he breathed out, "I need to—."

She sighed, scooting back and ripping off her own pants. She watched him the entire time, from when he stood up, to the moment his jeans fell to his ankles, to when he jumped back onto the couch, pinning her beneath his body.

He peppered her neck, chest, arms, and abdomen with feather-light kisses before he pressed his lips against hers once again. "We should move this party to the bedroom," he said, between kisses.

"Don't want to," she protested.

He nodded, the thought of moving didn't appeal to him much either. He reached behind her and popped the clasp of her bra. He pulled the under garment off and flung it, it landing on one of the lampshades. Not paying it any mind, he met her eyes and smiled.

"We're doing this? Trying for a baby?"

He silenced her with a kiss. "Shhh. We're not doing anything except making love," he whispered.

She moaned, the feeling of his thumb caressing her right breast very pleasing to her. After several minutes of mind-numbing touches and swipes of his tongue, she could barely think straight, but she was coherent enough to know they were far too covered up to do this properly. She lifted her shoulders off the couch and pushed herself out from under him. She hooked her thumbs in the waistband of his boxer briefs and met his eyes. She reached up, moving the pendant of his Saint Christopher medal to the back, and tipped her chin.

He nodded, getting off of her and removing the last of his clothing other than his striped sock that donned his feet. He sat on the edge and slowly slid her underwear down her legs, letting his fingers brush against her skin as he went.

She squirmed under his intense gaze and at the light caresses of her inner legs. She bit down on her bottom lip and curled her toes as one of his hands moved back upwards after discarding the cumbersome garment while the other slid through her hair.

Minutes and a few strangled moans (from both of them) later, he hovered above her, gazing down into her glazed over blue-grey eyes; it was so easy to get lost in them.

She cleared her throat, rubbing her hand over his cheek and lightly stubble-clad jaw. "Booth?"

He blinked and recaptured her lips with his. He lowered himself and closed his eyes, his words garbled against her mouth.

She shifted, hooking her legs around his waist once again and pulling him down farther. She bucked her hips and tilted her head, one hand on the back of his neck, the other dragging through his hair, tugging on it. "Now," she ordered in a breathy moan.

He nodded, obeying without protest. Their earlier conversation and their mutual decision to expand their family was forgotten. All that mattered in that moment was the two of them and their desire for one another.

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**_Should I keep going? _**


	2. Chapter 2

**_I was not expecting that response, but thank you! I guess you guys want me to continue? Ha._**

**_Well, here is the second chapter. Hope you like it :)_**

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It was early in the morning on a Saturday and Booth and Brennan were lazing around in bed, a rare occasion now that they were the proud parents of a four year-old. He rolled onto his side and smiled at her. He reached up and swept some of her hair out of her eyes. He leaned over and brushed his lips across her bare shoulder, causing her to shiver slightly. He slid his hand down, his touches light as he caressed her, paying close attention to her breasts. Her moans energized him and after a while, he got a little daring, moving his hand passed her hips.

She parted her legs and arched her back in anticipation of his next move.

He massaged her left thigh and then her right, relaxing her muscles. As he slipped his hand between her legs, he couldn't help but smile, an edge of cockiness to it. He wanted desperately to take his time, stroke every part of her until she was practically jelly, but he didn't have that luxury; Christine would most likely be awake within thirty minutes and soon after that she would come barging into their room to wake them up once she discovered they weren't in the living room or the kitchen. If they wanted to finish this, they would have to work quickly. Forgoing their usual routine, he shifted until he was hovering above her. He lowered down on top of her, supporting most of his weight with his arms. He experimented, rubbing his body against hers, and dipped his head, capturing her lips with his. He dragged out the kiss, continuing to move back and forth; he was torturing her and he knew it.

She gripped the back of his neck, her nails digging into his skin. She forced his head back and looked directly into his eyes. Her lips brushed his as she spoke, slowly and articulately, "Booth, stop teasing me or neither of us will be satisfied," she exhaled, lowering her voice, "sexually speaking." She moved his pendant out of the way and slid her fingers up and down his back, adding a bit of pressure.

He moaned as he sank down into her and began to rock. He gradually picked up speed, at her insistence, and let out a small shriek when her nails dug a little too deeply into his skin. He gave her a quick peck before brushing his lips against her neck, just below her jaw. He sucked her skin lightly in spots and hard in others, careful not to leave any marks in areas that wouldn't be covered by a shirt or jacket collar.

She arched into him, cupping the back of his head with one hand and hooking the other arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer to her. She gasped, a moan escaping her lips.

The vibrations sent strange yet extremely pleasuring sensations throughout his body, his lips tingling. He groaned and ground his pelvis into hers. He lifted his head and crashed his lips against hers once again.

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Several minutes later, Booth lay on his back, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He closed his eyes and rubbed his hand across his face. He swallowed and kicked off the sheet, which had been wrapped around his ankles. As he lay there, completely exposed, he smiled, his heart beginning to return to a normal rhythm. As soon as the cool air in their bedroom nearly dried all the sweat covering his body, he rolled onto his side and scooted closer to Brennan.

Brennan was also lying on her back, her breathing a bit ragged and her forehead beaded with perspiration. Her eyes were opened as she focused on the ceiling. She had a rosy tint to her cheeks, as well, and she seemed to be glowing, her lips curled into a smile.

He ran his finger down her arm and moved his hand to her stomach, resting it there. "There could be a little baby in there," he whispered.

She tilted her head and looked at him. "It's far too early to tell." She paused. "But it is possible."

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

She shook her head. "It hasn't been nearly long enough for there to be an embryo in my uterus, but it is possible that your sperm has already burrowed itself into my egg in my Fallopian tube. If that's the case," she paused, "the egg will begin moving through the tube towards my uterus within the next two or three days."

He groaned, covering his face with his hand. "Bones, that is far too much information."

She shrugged and turned onto her side. "You asked."

"When, uh, when can you take the test?"

"In twelve days, but I'll likely wait another week after that. It's likely I won't be experiencing any symptoms yet, other than a missed period. Not getting my period as scheduled will be a good indication of a possible pregnancy since I've always been very regular, meaning the time between my cycles has been exactly 28 days ever since I was thirteen." She paused. "I apologize if that was too graphic for you," she teased.

He rolled his eyes, but a second later, his expression softened and he began to delicately brush his hand across her belly. "There could be a little baby in there," he repeated, his voice softer this time.

Before she had a chance to comment, the door to the bedroom burst open and Christine came scampering in.

He quickly jumped away and scrambled to cover them up with the sheet, now crumpled at the foot of the bed. The last thing he wanted was to scar his little girl for life.

"Mommy? Daddy? Are you awake?" Christine walked over to the bed and climbed onto the mattress.

Booth yawned. "Yeah, Princess." He reached over the side of the bed and grabbed his sweatpants and boxers. He discreetly redressed under the covers while Brennan kept Christine occupied by asking her how she slept and if she was hungry. "How about pancakes in the shape of Mickey Mouse?"

Christine shook her head. "I don't want pancakes."

He stood up and put on his robe. He lifted Christine up into the air and smiled up at her as he slowly lowered her to his hip, the little girl kicking and giggling the whole way.

Christine hooked her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

He kissed her cheek and supported her with one arm under her bottom. "Well, what do you want for breakfast, then? It's up to you."

"Blueberry waffles."

"You got it." He looked over his shoulder at Brennan, who was watching them with a smile on her face. "Waffles good for you?"

Brennan nodded, wrapping the sheet tighter around her body. "I'll be right there."

He set Christine on the floor and kneeled on the bed, leaning over to meet Brennan halfway for a kiss. "Morning," he winked and grabbed Christine's hand. "Let's go. You think you can set the table?"

Christine puffed out her chest, her hands on her chest. "Course, Daddy. I'm a big girl." She let go of his hand and ran out of the room.

He laughed and followed her.

* * *

Brennan stayed in bed for another two minutes before she finally pulled on the pajamas she had worn to bed but had discarded for an impromptu love making session at 2:30 and made her way out to the kitchen. She knew it was far too early, but she found herself almost giddy at the chance that she could be in the very early stages of conception. She allowed herself to dream for a second before her rational side kicked in. Booth had put the thought in her head, but she had to let it go, at least for now; getting her hopes up too soon would certainly cause her great disappointment in the weeks to come. She was older and her body had been through a great deal between then and now, so getting pregnant wouldn't likely be as easy as it was the previous time.

She was pulled back into reality by the sound of Christine's laughter and she smiled. She let out a breath and continued towards the kitchen. She had plenty of time to worry about this later; right now, she was hungry and her husband and daughter were waiting for her to join them for breakfast.


	3. Chapter 3

About a week later, Brennan was sitting at her desk, cleaning out her inbox and checking for any urgent emails. She was not having a very good morning. She woke up later than she would have preferred, causing her to rush through her morning routine. Because she was in a bit of a harried state, she put on two different shoes and just barely missed twisting her ankle on the way out the door. Since Booth left for work early, she was in charge of breakfast. She ended up burning the pancakes because she was more focused on the clock. Since she was late getting up, she was also late getting Christine ready for school. On top of all of that, she was experiencing some light cramping, a warning sign her menstrual cycle was coming.

She rubbed her temples and sighed, her vision blurring a little as she stared at her computer screen. She looked up when she heard a faint knock on her door and motioned for Booth to come in.

Booth opened the door and stepped into her office. He took one look at her and frowned. "What's wrong?"

She pushed away from her desk and leaned back in her chair. "Nothing. It's just been a rough morning." She paused. "A new case?" she asked, perking up a little at the prospect.

He shook his head. "No." He paused. "I got you something." He set the plastic bag in front of her and sank down onto the corner of her desk.

She raised an eyebrow as she opened the bag and peered inside. She pulled out the box and examined it. "Booth, it's still too early for this."

He nodded. "I know, I know, but is doesn't hurt to be prepared, right?"

She suddenly burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

She gasped for air and wiped a few tears that leaked out. Swallowing, she explained, "I was just," she paused, a chuckle bubbling up, "imagining you standing there," she shook her head, pursing her lips to keep from laughing, "buying this. I mean, you—." That was as far as she got; she lost the battle and closed her eyes to keep the tears in.

"So what would happen if you, um, take this now? Is it possible that it'd work?" He was trying not to sound too eager, but he knew before he even finished his question, that he failed miserably.

That seemed to sober her up. She read the box again and realized that he had gotten one of those early pregnancy tests, the ones that claimed to be able to detect pregnancy days before your missed period. She set the package back on top of the bag and shook her head. "It'll most likely show a negative result even if I am pregnant." She paused. "Booth," she started, her voice soft.

He blinked, taken aback by her serious tone. "What?"

"You shouldn't get your hopes up."

"Why not?"

"You just shouldn't."

"Why not?" he asked again, not satisfied by her answer.

"I don't want you to be upset."

He shrugged. "If it doesn't happen this time, we'll just try again. No big deal."

She nodded.

"Don't worry about me, Bones. I'm a big boy." He leaned over and pressed his lips against hers. "Lunch?"

"I'm not very hungry."

He stood up and grabbed her coat off the rack behind her desk. "You gotta eat," he said, holding it open for her.

"I have a granola bar in my desk," she countered.

"Bones."

"I'm not hungry, okay?" she shouted, turning her chair so her back was to him.

"Whoa."

She sighed. "Sorry."

"Everything okay, Bones?"

"It's your fault."

He stepped back. "My fault? What the Hell did I do?"

"You put this idea in my head. Now it's all I can think about!"

"What idea?" He swallowed and figured out what she was talking about all on his own. "I thought you wanted to have another baby. I wasn't trying to force you into this, Bones. If you don't want another kid right now, we can wait."

She shook her head. "No, I was telling the truth when I said I wanted another child, Booth."

"Then what are you talking about?"

"I mean, the idea that I could be pregnant. You rub my abdomen every morning, I catch you staring at me more often than you normally do, and you went out and bought me an early pregnancy test even though the process of conception makes you squeamish and uncomfortable. You seem so excited for something that has yet to be confirmed and I find myself unable to not join in your excitement. I told you not to get your hopes up, but the truth is, I'm finding it difficult not to do that myself."

He set her jacket down and pulled her out of her chair. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry."

She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, burying her face in his neck and snaking her arms around him.

He ran his hand up and down her back soothingly and closed his eyes. "Like I said, if it doesn't happen this time, we'll just try again."

She stepped back and looked at him. "I'd like to go to lunch now."

He smiled, grabbed her jacket, and helped her into it. He steered her towards the door and took her hand when they passed through her office door. "Good, I'm starving. I've been craving a burger all day."

"Perhaps _you_ should take that pregnancy test," she joked.

"Ha ha, funny, real funny, Bones."

She laughed and leaned into him. "You haven't told anyone we're trying, have you?"

He shook his head. "Not a soul. It's nobody's business."

She smiled. "I agree." She paused. "Are we taking your car or mine?"

"Let's walk."

She buttoned her coat in anticipation for the cold winter air and nodded. She let go of his hand and reached into her pockets. She pulled on her gloves and hooked her arm around his, as they continued down the sidewalk. "The weather forecast is calling for snow late this afternoon."

He nodded and looked around at the pitiful amount of snow that was covering the ground. "Hope we get more than this. You can't make a snowman or snow angels out of dust."

"It is pretty, though," she commented, looking at the shimmering icicles hanging from the tree branches and the awnings of some of the businesses in their vicinity.

When they reached the diner, he stepped out in front and opened the door before she could, holding it open for her.

She gave him a look, but her scowl soon turned into a smile and she thanked him on her way inside.

He shook his head and followed her, starting to unbutton his coat.

Soon they were seated at their table by the window, menus in hand even though they both already knew what they wanted to order.

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_**Thanks again for the reviews/follows/favorites**_

_**Hope you liked this chapter :) **_

_**Next one coming soon and I'll try and make it a little longer**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**I know I said I'd update soon, so sorry for the wait. I also said I'd try and make the next chapter longer, but it ended up being shorter... **_

**_This chapter went into a totally different direction than I had in mind, but I hope you enjoy it regardless :) _**

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Brennan was currently in her office, compiling her notes from an earlier examination of a set of remains from limbo, the original report and the most recent X-rays up on her computer. As she was coming to the end of the third page, her stomach let out a small rumble, reminding her that it was well passed lunchtime. She opened the top drawer of her desk where she usually kept granola bars, individual bags of mini pretzels, and sometimes packages of dried fruits to munch on throughout the day if she was too busy for a sit-down meal. She paused, spotting the box she stashed in there a few days ago. She picked it up and turned it over in her hands, a small smile gracing her lips. She glanced at the calendar and swallowed. Even though she was suspicious of the 99 percent accuracy claim, she couldn't help the urge she felt to rip the box open and take the test right at that particular moment.

"Sweetie, do you think this dress makes me look fat?" Angela asked, coming into the office, her head down as she ran her hands over the deep plum silky fabric.

Brennan jumped and fumbled with the box, throwing it in her desk and slamming the drawer shut.

Angela looked up at the sound and raised an eyebrow, noting Brennan's flush cheeks and heavy breathing and having caught a glimpse of the package the anthropologist had hastily tossed in her top drawer. "What was that?"

Brennan shook her head. "Nothing." She paused. "Did you need something?" she asked, hoping to distract the artist.

"Yes!" Angela twirled around. "So it's date night. What do you think?"

Brennan eyed her best friend up and down, studying the dress and the way it fit. "I don't know why you're asking me. Dr. Saroyan would be a better person to consult on such a matter as fashion."

"Yeah, well, I asked you, so consult."

"It's," Brennan swallowed, trying to get her heart to calm down, "it's pretty."

Angela's eyes widened. "Pretty? Pretty? _Pretty?_

Brennan shrugged. "You asked for my opinion, but when I give you a compliment, you look at me like I couldn't have said anything more offensive." She paused. "Oh, is this one of those times where Curly means bald and Shorty means tall? In that case, the dress is ugly and does absolutely nothing for your figure."

Angela gasped. "Sweetie!"

Brennan bit her lip. "From your reaction, I assume this is notone of those times."

"No!"

"I apologize." Brennan paused. "Then I'm still confused."

"I wasn't going for _pretty_. Hot, sex kitten, vixen, beautiful, of course, but not pretty." Angela shook her head. "Try again and this time, really think about it."

Brennan tipped her chin up a little. "I'm sure Hodgins would prefer to see you naked, so spending so much energy and time into your appearance makes no sense to me."

Angela smirked. "I know and I prefer him in his birthday suit, as well, but we both would rather end our night in bed and not in a jail cell, so Sweetie, just tell me what you think."

"It's not even two o'clock. Why are you dressed for dinner so early?"

"Sweetie!"

Brennan nodded and quickly supplied her opinion "You look beautiful, Angela."

Angela exhaled. "Thank you, even if you're only saying that because I told you to."

Brennan shook her head. "I'm not. You really do look great."

Angela turned and headed for the couch. "Now that we got that out of the way, let's talk about what you just stashed in the top drawer of your desk."

Brennan swallowed, subconsciously glancing at the drawer in question. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me." Angela pulled on the hem of her dress and shifted uncomfortably on the couch. "Spill it, Bren." She held Brennan's gaze and narrowed her eyes.

Brennan shrugged. "I honestly have no idea what you're referring to, Angela. All I have in my top drawer are granola bars."

"I don't buy it."

"Not everything is your business. Some things are personal."

"So there is something?" Angela smirked. "What is it?"

Brennan rolled her eyes.

"Okay, fine, don't tell me, but I'll find out what you're hiding eventually. You can't keep secrets from me, Sweetie."

"There's nothing to tell." _Not yet, at least. _"Now if you'll excuse me, I have recently consumed twenty ounces of water and have to use the restroom." Brennan paused. "And you should change out of your dress."

Knowing when she was being dismissed, Angela stood up and walked over to the door. "I'm almost done with that first facial reconstruction you asked me to do earlier. I'll come find you when I put the finishing touches on the sketch."

Brennan nodded.

"I'm not asking you to tell me, but are you okay? I mean, health wise. This secret isn't anything bad, is it?"

Brennan shook her head, smiling at the concern her best friend was showing. "No. I believe it will be a good thing." Once Angela was no longer in view, she opened the top drawer and grabbed the box. She pulled the tab and tilted the box, the slim stick falling into her palm. It was irrational and she was opening herself up to huge disappointment, but she didn't care. Ever since Booth had brought her the surprise purchase, she couldn't think of much else. Slipping the test into her pocket, she left her office and made her way to the handicapped restroom. She hadn't lied to Angela; she just had another purpose in mind other than simply relieving herself.


	5. Chapter 5

Brennan stood at the sink, her back to the mirror. She glanced at her phone and let out a delirious-sounding laugh. What the Hell was she doing? Why was she putting herself through this when she already knew the test would be negative even if the box did claim it could detect elevated levels of hCG as soon as six days before a woman's missed period.

She pressed her back into the hard edge of the counter and closed her eyes. Why did she even agree to do this? Did she even want another child? She shook her head. Of course she did. She needed to relax and think rationally. It wasn't uncommon for women to not conceive the first time; it didn't mean anything was wrong or that it wouldn't happen eventually. She was still relatively young and she was a healthy individual. Booth was more than adequate, as well. She needed to stop stressing over this and letting Booth's premature elation over the possibility of a pregnancy get to her.

She let out a breath and tipped her head down to look at the black screen of her phone. Swallowing hard, she illuminated the screen to check the time. When she realized three minutes had passed, she turned around to face the mirror and closed her eyes once again. If she was going to look, she needed to do it now. She slid her eyes open, blinked, and brought the test up to eye level.

She pursed her lips, squinting at the tiny window. She didn't know how to discern the results. The second line was faint, almost too faint to see, but it was there nonetheless. What did that mean? Was it positive or negative? Certainly if it was positive, the second line would be darker, wouldn't it? On the other hand, if it was negative, there wouldn't be any line at all, right? Perhaps she waited too long. If she was pregnant, she'd be in the very early stages. Her hCG levels would be low and therefore, it was entirely possible that there wasn't enough of the hormone in her urine to produce anything darker than the faint pink line she had seen when she first looked at the test.

* * *

Brennan continued to stand there, for how long, she had no idea. It wasn't until she heard the distinct sound of someone trying to open the locked restroom door that she snapped out of her daze. Her shoulders jerked and she rubbed her eyes. At some point, she had become teary without realizing it. She grabbed the test off the counter, wrapped it up in toilet paper until it wasn't recognizable, and tossed it in the trash. After washing her hands and splashing some water on her face, she exhaled and squared her shoulders. Reaching for the lock, she flicked it and opened the door. She stepped out, nearly colliding with the person who was trying to get into the bathroom.

"Whoa, Bones." Booth placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her. He took one look at her and sighed. "What's wrong?"

She looked up at him. "Wha—what are you doing here? I thought, the meeting, you said you would be—."

He chuckled at her uncharacteristic speechlessness. "The meeting ended hours ago, Bones. It's five o'clock."

Her eyes widened. "Five o'clock?"

He nodded. "You okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine." She paused. "I have to get back to work."

"You sure you're okay?"

"I said I was okay! Just drop it, Booth."

He nodded. "You wanna get an early dinner?"

"I'm not very hungry and I have some work to finish up here. I'll see you at home?"

He nodded, giving her hand a squeeze.

She smiled, his touch calming as it always was. "I—."

"There you are, Sweetie!" Angela ran towards the couple, out of breath. She was wearing her date dress with a pair of black stilettos. She wobbled a little, not used to having to run in heels, and came to a stop in front of them. "Where have you been?"

"I—." Brennan glanced at the restroom behind her and then back to Angela. "I told you had to use the bathroom."

"That was _three _hours ago, Bren."

"Oh, right." Brennan shrugged. "I lost track of time."

"Mmhmm." Angela winked at Booth, taking in his crooked tie and wrinkled suit jacket.

Booth shook his head, recognizing Angela's look. "I just got here, Angela. There was none of _that_ happening in _there." _He threw his thumb over his shoulder, pointing at the restroom door.

"Anyway, I just wanted to say goodbye and I'll see you on Monday, Sweetie. Hodgins has a surprise for me before we make our dinner reservations." Angela gave Brennan a hug and waved to Booth before disappearing back down the hallway.

Brennan watched her best friend leave before she turned her focus to Booth. "I—I need to tell you something." She motioned for him to follow her to a bench not too far away.

"Uh, do you mind?" He pointed at the bathroom door.

"You certainly didn't come here to find me, since you were unaware I was in the restroom. I'll wait." She sank down on the bench and slumped forward. At least, she'd have some time to think about what she was going to tell him.

He came out of the bathroom a minute or so later and sat down beside her. "What's up? Does what you have to tell me have anything to do with why you were in the bathroom for three hours?"

She nodded. "I was honest before." At his confused look, she elaborated, "When I told Angela that I lost track of time. However, I chose not to disclose why I did."

"But you are going to now? To me?" he prompted, resting his hand on her knee and lightly massaging her leg.

She nodded again. "Yes." She paused. "I—."

"You what?"

"I took the pregnancy test."

He blinked. "What? Without me? Bones, we talked about this."

She raised her hand, stopping him from continuing. "I know. I just couldn't take it anymore." She clenched her fist. "I thought if I put the box in my desk drawer, I'd just forget about it, but the opposite has occurred. I missed lunch today, but I was hungry, so I decided to have a snack to hold me over until dinner. I went to grab a granola bar, but that pink box was in the way. When I looked at the calendar," she took a deep breath, "I realized that if I were to take the test today, according to the claim on the box, it would be able to detect hCG in my urine, even the low levels I would be producing at this stage of pregnancy." She paused. "I knew it would be negative because regardless of what the box claims, it is still very early. It makes more sense to wait to take the home pregnancy test until at least a few days after I actually miss my period. Even knowing those things, I couldn't resist."

He nodded.

"I'm sorry." She sighed. "I couldn't focus on anything other than that stupid test. I thought if I took care of it, I'd be able to concentrate on my work again." She chanced a glance at him and was surprised he didn't look upset or angry.

"Well?" he finally asked, unable to keep it in any longer. "Are you pregnant?"

"The results are," she let out a breath, enjoying the way the pad of his thumb was lightly brushing across her knuckles, "inconclusive."

* * *

**_Please don't hate me ;) _**


	6. Chapter 6

_Inconclusive? What did that even mean? _Booth stared at her, unsure how he was supposed to take that answer. "Was it positive or negative?"

Brennan shifted on the bench. "I just told you the results were inconclusive."

He nodded. "Yeah, I got that, but I have no clue what that means. What was inconclusive about it? You're either pregnant or you're not, right?"

"The results are confusing," she clarified, hoping that would appease him.

It didn't. "What were the results, Bones?"

"There was a faint second line discernable in the display window after I waited the recommended three minutes."

He frowned. "Does that mean you're pregnant or not pregnant?" He was dying; he just wanted to know.

"According to the diagram on the box, two lines equal a positive pregnancy test, whereas one line is negative."

His eyes widened. "You're pregnant?" He felt the urge to jump up and down, but he controlled himself. He calmed down and studied her. She didn't look happy. She would be happy if she were pregnant, wouldn't she?

"I don't know."

His face fell slightly. "But didn't you just say two lines mean a positive result?"

"Yes, I did, but Booth, the second line was very faint. I had to squint to even see it."

"But it was there!" He argued, his lips curving upwards.

She nodded. "Yes." She couldn't disagree with him since she had made that point herself while in the bathroom earlier.

His smile widened and he blinked. "We're having a baby?"

"Booth, wait," she held up her hand to stop him from celebrating just yet, "it's not—I would feel more comfortable answering that question if I were to take another home pregnancy test in a few more days."

"A few days! Bones, you can't tell me you might be pregnant and expect me to be able to wait three more days to find out for sure." Was she trying to kill him? "I'll call Max and see if he can watch Christine for a little while longer. You can finish up whatever it is you have to finish up here while I run out and grab some dinner and another one of those test thingies. You can take it after we eat."

She sighed. "Booth—."

"Please?"

She nodded. "Fine."

He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before he stood up and pulled her to her feet. He wrapped his arms around her and smiled. "I'll be right back."

They walked to her office, which she disappeared into while he continued towards the exit. She plopped down on her chair and leaned back, closing her eyes on a sigh. As she sat there, replaying her conversation with Booth and with the image of the pregnancy test display forever ingrained in her mind, she subconsciously moved her hand from the arm of the chair to her stomach, a small smile playing at her lips.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Booth passed through the automatic doors leading into the lab and headed for Brennan's office. As he rounded the corner, he glanced sideways towards the platform. He could see her hunched over one of the lighted examination tables. It was evident that she was frustrated, either because she couldn't find what she was looking for or because of the lock of hair that she had to repeatedly swat out of her face. He whistled, successfully getting her attention. He held up the bag when she looked over at him. "I got food."

Brennan flashed him a smile. "I'll be right there."

He nodded, heading into her office to get everything set up. He wasn't sure how long she'd be, but he figured he had a bit more time before she joined him. After the food and beverages were laid out, as well as the plates, napkins, and silverware, he left to grab something he left at the security desk and when he came back, she was still on the platform. "Bones?"

She looked up suddenly. "Just give me a minute, Booth."

He nodded and went back to her office.

Booth was in the middle of his third round of Tetris when Brennan finally walked through her office door. He paused the game and watched as she removed her lab coat, hung it up, and headed over to the couch.

Brennan sat down beside him and reached for her plate, which Booth had already filled with her salad. She popped off the cap of the tiny dressing cup and drizzled some over the lettuce and tomatoes. "Did you call my father?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"Did you—?"

"Yep." He shifted his foot and rustled the bag that he set on the floor. "Should we, um, do it now or after we eat?"

"After." She smiled. "You understand this test is likely to produce similar results as the first one, don't you?"

"That's what I'm hoping for, Bones."

She sighed. "What I mean is, it is likely to be unreliable."

He shrugged and dug into his burger. "Three hours?" he asked several minutes later.

She blinked. "Hmm?" She licked a drop of dressing off her top lip and stared at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Three hours is a long time to be in the bathroom, Bones," he teased.

She rolled her eyes. "I said I lost track of time."

"Uh-huh."

"And I was distracted. It was as if I was unaware of time passing," she elaborated before popping a crouton into her mouth. After she had finished three fourths of her salad, she pushed her plate away. "Did you get anything for dessert?" She peered into the bag to see what else he had bought. Her face lit up at the sight of the dark chocolate cheesecake she spotted at the bottom. She took it out and set it down in front of her. She would let her dinner digest a little before consuming the decadent dessert, however.

"You didn't even notice the flowers," he said casually, biting a French fry in half.

Stealing a fry from his plate, she looked around her office and sure enough, there was a vase of daisies on her desk. "I'm sorry. They're beautiful. Thank you." She paused. "Not as beautiful as this piece of cake, though," she said.

"I almost got you lemon meringue pie, but then the waitress brought out the cake and I changed my mind."

"You made the right decision." She stood up and started dumping the paper plates into the now empty bag. She cleared off the table, leaving just his apple pie and her cheesecake plus two forks and napkins. She pushed the coffee table away with her legs and scooted closer to him. She leaned into him and hooked her arm around his back.

He propped his feet up and put his arm around her waist. He craved these moments. As much as he enjoyed the kissing and all that it lead to, he loved the quiet times too, the cuddling and the simple embraces.

They stayed like that, just sitting on her couch, for a while. Sometimes they'd converse, but it was mostly silent.

* * *

Booth glanced at his watch and realized if they were going to do this, they'd have to do it now. It was getting late and he knew Brennan would want to be home before Christine was in bed. "Bones?"

Brennan lifted her head off his shoulder and looked at him. She was exhausted. If he hadn't spoken when he did, she was sure she would have fallen asleep soon. "I'll be right back."

He nodded, handing her the bag. "I'll wait here, I guess."

"Or you could come with me?"

He coughed. "What?"

"You could sit on the bench and I'll call you in when I'm ready. We can wait together."

He nodded. "Yeah, that, good." He was nervous. What if there wasn't a second line this time? What if there was? He shook his head, took a deep breath, and stood up. "Let's go." When they reached the handicapped restroom, they paused and he reached down, grabbing her hand. He squeezed and flashed her a smile before he let go and sat on the bench. Waiting for her to come out would be torture for him, but it paled in comparison to waiting for the results.

She swallowed. "This won't take long." She disappeared inside and shut the door behind her.

A few seconds passed and he couldn't sit still any longer. He stood up and started to pace, his mind racing. He jumped when the door to the bathroom opened two minutes later. He stopped and looked at her.

She held up the test and motioned for him to follow her into the bathroom. There were security cameras in the hallway and the security guards would be making their rounds soon, so they'd have more privacy in there.

They walked back into the restroom and stood side by side, their backs to the mirror. This moment was giving him a strong sense of déjà vu. Even though his situation with Brennan was completely different from his with Rebecca years ago, it was still just as stressful. As the seconds ticked by, he was getting antsy. After about a minute, he began to tap his foot on the tile and every so often he'd shift his weight from one leg to the other.

"Would you quit it?" Brennan finally erupted, stomping on his tapping foot to make it stop.

He crossed his arms over his chest and pressed his back into the lip of the counter. "How much longer?"

"90 seconds," she answered, glancing at her phone.

"How much longer now?"

"87 seconds."

"Now?"

She glared at him. "Booth!"

He laughed. "I'm kidding." He nudged her. "What about now?"

"I'm leaving." She walked towards the door and reached for the handle.

"I'll stop."

She looked at him skeptically, but then he smiled at her and she forgot why she was annoyed with him in the first place. She returned to her position at the counter and looked at her phone again. 65 seconds.

He tapped on her shoulder, smirking when she turned and glared at him again. He held up his arms. "I wasn't going to ask." He paused. "You nervous?"

"Yes," she admitted. Logically, she knew what she would see when the alarm went off and she looked at the test, but she was still anxious. She was hoping for a more definitive result this time, but she wasn't expecting one.

He was about to answer the question himself when her cell phone beeped. He blinked. _This is it. _"On the count of three?"

She nodded. She grabbed the stick off the counter and closed her eyes.

"One, two, three."

She opened her eyes and looked down at the display window at the same time he did. She turned away and looked at Booth, who was already looking at her.

"Does that mean what I think it means?" Booth asked, smiling at her.

Her eyes traveled back to the home pregnancy test she held in her hand and exhaled. Two lines. Two _distinct _lines. There was no question whether or not the test was positive this time. But could she believe it? After all, false positives were entirely possible; Angela could contest to that.

"Hello? Bones? Anybody there?" He tapped on the side of her and whistled. "Yoo-hoo."

She blinked and glanced up at him. "Hmm?" She nodded. "Right. You asked me a question." She swallowed. "It appears the test is positive."

"We're having a baby?" He smiled wider, dropping his shoulders as he let out a breath. His happiness deflated a little when he took in her blank expression. "What?" Understanding dawned on him suddenly. He took the test out of her hand and set it on the counter behind them before her wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head and squeezed her hip. "We'll wait to celebrate until you see your doctor."

She relaxed into him and closed her eyes. "It's just that a blood test is more accurate," she offered as an explanation, though it wasn't necessary. "I'll call first thing in the morning to make an appointment for next week."

He leaned down, his mouth hovering next to her ear, his breath brushing against it as he whispered, "I don't care how early it is. We're having another baby." There was no question in his voice; he was sure about this.

She shivered, resting her head on his shoulder. She couldn't help but smile. _I hope so. _There was never a time she wanted to believe in his gut as much as she did right now.

"Let's go home. I bet there's a little girl who wants her Mom to tuck her in."

She nodded. "And a little girl who wants her Daddy to read her a story." She sounded a little bitter about that, but she loved the bond Christine and Booth had.

"It's because I do all the funny voices."

She turned into him, so they were facing each other, and tipped her head back.

He leaned down and allowed her to close the final gap between them. The kiss lasted less than five seconds, but it was all that was needed at that moment. He pulled away and brushed his lips across her forehead before stepping back.

She opened her eyes and wrapped the pregnancy test up in paper towels. Tossing it in the trash, she walked to the door and pulled it open. "Are you coming?"

"Just give me a minute."

She nodded and left him there, heading to her office to pack up.

When the door clicked shut, he turned to the mirror, pressing his palms into the counter. He stared at his reflection, his lips slowly curving into a huge grin, his eyes slightly glossy. He exhaled, pushed away from the counter, and looked around out of habit to make sure no one was there to witness what he was about do. Satisfied, he closed his eyes and did a little happy dance.

The bathroom door opened and Brennan stuck her head in. She was about to ask what he wanted to do with the leftovers, but froze. She fought the urge to burst out laughing, instead backing up and shutting the door, letting him having his moment, free of any embarrassment he might suffer if he realized he had an audience. He looked ridiculous, but she could tell he was happy. She hoped the blood test would only confirm the results of the home pregnancy test because she knew if that was negative, he would be devastated. _He wouldn't be the only one_, she reminded herself.

* * *

A couple of minutes later, Booth joined Brennan in her office, a smile still on his face. "Ready?" he asked, grabbing the bag with the dessert they hadn't eaten.

She buttoned her coat and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Yes."

As they headed into the lab, he laced his fingers through hers. "I know you saw."

She raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

"Keep that between us, okay?"

She laughed. "I like your dance moves."

"I'm a good dancer, Bones."

"Oh, I know."

"That was not a good representation of my skills."

She smirked. "Oh, I know that as well."

He gave her a peck on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you too."

After another quick kiss, they made their way to the exit, both more than ready to go home and relieve Max of his babysitting duties.


	7. Chapter 7

Booth was sitting at his usual table at the diner, stirring his black coffee as he stared, distractedly, out the window. He shifted on the seat, a smile finding its way onto his otherwise expressionless face. He had baby on the brain; it was all he could think about for the last week. Images of a baby boy in a Phillies onesie battled images of a baby girl in pink Steelers footie pajamas for dominance in his head. He thought about how they would renovate the extra bedroom into a nursery, wondering if they'd argue as much as they did before Christine was born. That always lead to thoughts about Christine and whether she'd be a doting big sister or if she'd be jealous of the new baby. Those thoughts switched to thoughts of Parker. He was a great big brother, but how would he react to having another little brother or sister? Would the fifteen year-old even care? Would he be mad? Would he be excited?

The waitress returned to the table to refill his coffee, only to discover he had barely taken a sip. She asked him if he wanted anything else, but her words never registered. She shrugged and walked away, returning to the kitchen. She came back minutes later, setting a plate of fresh-from-the-fryer French fries down in front of him.

The bell above the door jingled, signaling a new patron, but Booth hadn't noticed. He didn't even seem to realize that someone was now seated across from him and was reaching for the plate of fries. "Oh, Bless, you got me fries. I knew I liked you for a reason, Booth." Aubrey signaled for the waitress to bring him a cheeseburger and a grilled cheese sandwich before he turned to his oblivious tablemate. "Dude, what's up with you?" Nothing. "Hey!" Not even a blink. Shrugging, he reached down, unhooked his gun, and set it noisily on the table.

Booth's head jerked towards Aubrey and he leaned forward after he took a quick look around. "What the Hell are you doing?" he whispered loudly. "Put that away."

Aubrey gave Booth a twisted smirk and holstered his gun. "Finally." He paused. "You and the wife get into it last night? She school your ass in Scrabble or something? I bet she'd be an awesome teammate," he said with a mouth full of fries.

Booth shook his head. "I've just got a lot of stuff on my mind, okay? Let's just focus on the case, hmm?" He pushed a folder towards the younger agent and tapped on it with his index finger.

Aubrey nodded, taking a bite of the cheeseburger the waitress had just set down in front of him.

Booth sipped at his coffee, his mouth twisting in disgust at the taste of the below-room-temperature brew. He was putting the cup down when his cell phone started ringing. Seeing 'Bones' pop up on the screen, he stood, gathered his things, and headed to the exit, not bothering to say goodbye to Aubrey. He answered the phone, holding it to his ear as he proceeded to shrug his jacket on. "Hey, Bones."

"_Hello, Booth. I have a doctor's appointment today at 2:15."_

He sank down onto the bench just outside the diner and glanced at his watch. "That's in twenty minutes."

"_Yes. I apologize for the late notice; there was a last minute cancellation. It is not with my usual doctor, as she won't be available until next Wednesday and I am not interested in waiting another six days to confirm or rule out pregnancy." _She paused. _"Which brings me to the reason I'm calling. You have voiced your interest in being part of everything and since this appointment would fall into the 'everything' category, I am assuming you would like to accompany me." _She exhaled._ "Do you want to come?"_

"Of course I want to come!" He half smiled at a passerby who gave him a funny look after his overzealous reaction.

"_My appointment will likely be fifteen minutes to a half hour."_

"That quick?"

"_Yes," _she confirmed. "_This appointment today is only to confirm or rule out pregnancy, which will help us determine how we proceed. If I get a positive result from the urine and blood tests, I'll schedule my first prenatal examination with my obstetrician for some time in the next two months. Dr. Krill won't see me until I'm at least eight weeks, but will probably hold off until I reach twelve unless complications arise."_

He swallowed at the word complications.

"_If I receive a negative result—."_

He didn't want to think about that, even though it was a possibility.

"_We can try again next month." _She sighed. It was obvious she didn't like that outcome either.

"You want me to come pick you up?"

"_I am capable of driving myself."_

"See you soon."

"_Yes, you will. Goodbye."_

"Oh, and Bones?"

"_Booth?"_

"Thanks for this."

"_You're welcome." _

"I love you."

"_I love you."_

"Bye."

"_Bye."_

He hung up after she did and looked at the time. Pocketing his phone, he jogged across the street and headed towards his SUV. He jumped in and roared out of the parking lot, not wanting to be late for Brennan's appointment.

* * *

When he arrived at the doctor's office, Booth found Brennan in the waiting area, reading a magazine. He approached her and smiled when she turned her head and looked up at him. "I was told it would be another five minutes."

He nodded, taking a seat beside her.

She closed the magazine and set it in her lap, folding her hands on it. She tilted her head and gave him a look. "You smell like French fries." She shrugged and started reading the magazine again.

He smiled at her. He leaned over and peered down at the open magazine. "Personally, I think she wore it best, not her," he joked; he couldn't care less about celebrity fashion and he was sure Brennan didn't either.

She jumped and looked at him again. "What?" Turning her focus back to the page she was on, she realized what he was referring to with his seemingly random comment. "Oh."

A nurse with short, bleach-blonde hair, dark, beady eyes, and dressed in scrubs with tiny pastel footprints all over it, came around the corner and grabbed a file before entering the small room. "Temperance," she called.

Brennan set the magazine on the side table and stood up.

The nurse smiled as Brennan and Booth approached her. "Good afternoon. I'm Kristin. How are you today?"

"Good," Booth answered the bubbly nurse.

Brennan nodded. "I'm doing fine, as well."

Kristin led them to a room down a long hallway. While Booth and Brennan took seats against the wall, she sat down at the computer and logged in. She put in Brennan's information, pulling up her patient profile. "What is the reason for your appointment?"

Brennan swallowed. "I took two home pregnancy tests a week ago and they were both positive, but I don't quite trust them. The purpose of this appointment is to find out if I am, in fact, pregnant, or if they were false positives."

Kristin jotted that down. "What prompted you to take the test? Were you experiencing any symptoms? Nausea, fatigue, spotting, tender breasts?" She asked, naming a few.

Brennan glanced at Booth and then focused on the nurse. "We have just recently decided to try and conceive. I'm not experiencing any pregnancy symptoms yet and I'm only two days late."

Kristin smiled knowingly. "So impatience?"

Brennan raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Would it be accurate to say impatience prompted you to take the home pregnancy tests so early?"

Brennan nodded. "Oh, yes, I suppose so."

Kristin finished with a few more simple questions and then stood up. "Now let's get you on the scale."

Brennan stood and walked the short distance to the scale. She stepped on and stayed still, watching Kristin move the weights until everything was balanced.

"All done."

Brennan stepped off and rejoined Booth.

Kristin sat at the computer again and proceeded to take Brennan's blood pressure and temperature. She then smiled as she stood up. "Dr. Judd will be in shortly." She handed Brennan a gown. "You can leave your underwear on, but please remove your bra."

Brennan nodded in understanding and waited until Kristin shut the door behind her. She quickly stripped down to her underwear and slipped on the gown. She turned around in front of Booth.

Booth, after recovering (barely) from seeing his wife practically naked, stood and tied the gown closed. "You could have given me a little warning, there, Bones. I could have at least, you know, turned around, shut my eyes, or something."

"I thought Kristin handing me the gown and informing me to keep my underwear on but to take off my bra would be warning enough. Besides, you have seen me naked many times, Booth. The most recent being this morning. Did you forget?"

He swallowed. "Uh, no, definitely not."

She folded her clothing and set the pile on the third chair. She sat down in her seat and let out a breath.

He was about to ask if she was okay, feeling her sudden unease, but there was a knock on the door and it opened a short time later.

* * *

A youngish women entered the room, smiling brightly at the two of them. Her dull brown hair was pulled into an unkempt bun and her green eyes were hidden behind thick-framed glasses. "Good afternoon, my name is Dr. Judd," she greeted, her voice a bit raspy. "You normally see Dr. Reardon, correct?"

Brennan nodded.

Clearing her throat, Dr. Judd sat down at the computer and put in her credentials. She pulled up Brennan's records and glanced at the notes Kristin had made. "You're here for a pregnancy test?"

Once again, Brennan nodded.

"Okay, great." Dr. Judd paused. "We'll start by drawing some blood. Then we'll do a physical exam, followed by a urine test." She left the room and returned within a couple of minutes with all the necessary supplies. After preparing Brennan for the quick procedure and readying the needle, she pricked the skin, sliding the needle into the vein she had selected moments earlier. With the vial filled, she removed the needle and held a ball of cotton to the small dot of blood. "Just hold that there for a few seconds," she said, packaging the sample and handing it to the nurse that had accompanied her into the room. "We should get the results in a couple of days and then I'll give you a call."

Brennan nodded.

Dr. Judd tossed the cotton ball and instructed Brennan to get up onto the table. She started at the neck and worked her way down, noting the hiss Brennan expressed when she lightly kneaded her breasts and the clenched jaw she saw when she pressed on her stomach. "Everything appears to be normal," she said, handing Brennan a clear cup and an alcohol wipe.

Brennan took the items and disappeared into the bathroom.

Booth tapped his foot and rubbed his hands together. _What is taking her so long? C'mon, Bones. _The two home pregnancy tests were positive, so in his gut, he knew she was pregnant, but somehow finding out while in a doctor's office, having the test be administered by the doctor, made it seem more real.

Brennan emerged from the restroom and set the cup on the counter. She started to get back on the exam table, but Dr. Judd stopped her.

"It's okay. You can sit next to your husband."

Brennan nodded, taking her seat beside Booth.

He immediately took her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze.

Dr. Judd smiled at the couple before she dipped a fresh indicator strip into the cup. When the test was complete, she studied it for a long while.

He stared at the doctor, his stomach in knots. "Is there a problem?"

Dr. Judd shook her head. "No."

"Well? What does it say?" he asked, starting to get frustrated with the doctor.

"It's negative."

He blinked. "What?"

Brennan let out a soft gasp.

Dr. Judd didn't respond; she just repeated the test. The results were the same. "It's negative."

"How—what—but the two home pregnancy tests were positive. You've got to be reading it wrong."

"I assure you, Mr. Booth, I am reading the test correctly. Depending on the test, home pregnancy tests can actually be more sensitive than the urine test I just preformed, since some are able to detect hCG much sooner."

He didn't hear anything past her first sentence; he just sat there, looking at Brennan, who he could tell was trying her hardest not to react to the news.

Brennan sighed, pulling her hand away from Booth's. "Thank you, Dr. Judd."

Dr. Judd smiled sadly. It was clear these two people were hoping for different results. "False positives happen, as do false negatives. We don't have the capacity to do an ultrasound here, but I could give you a referral for a Dr. Kingston, who is an OB/GYN over at George Washington." Dr. Judd paused. "I do have some pamphlets on pregnancy and fertility if you're interested and we are still waiting on the results of the blood test."

Brennan shook her head. "That's not necessary."

Dr. Judd nodded and excused herself.

Brennan tore off the gown and redressed. She squared her shoulders and walked towards the door. "I shouldn't be home late."

Booth sighed. "Bones."

With her hand on the knob, she turned and smiled at him. "I'm fine."

"We'll try again."

She nodded. "Next month," she agreed.

"It just wasn't the right time." He was bummed. He thought for sure she was pregnant and part of him still didn't believe the negative result. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?"

"I'm positive."

He winced at her choice of words. He stood and gave her a hug. "I'll see you at home."

She nodded and opened the door, heading back down the hallway.

He shook his head and followed her, giving her a five minute head start. She might have given up hope, completely dismissed the two positive test results she had gotten a week ago in favor of what the doctor had said, but he was banking on the blood test results coming back positive. He just wasn't sure he could wait two days to find out if he was right. If only he could convince Brennan to have the ultrasound today…


	8. Chapter 8

**_I tried to get this chapter up earlier, but I was never quite satisfied with it, so I ended rewriting it three times. Plus, with work and a new six-month-old puppy we just adopted, finding time to sit down and write is a little difficult..._**

**_Anyway, I hope you like this chapter :)_**

* * *

It took Booth all of sixty seconds to regret giving Brennan a five-minute head start. He made it to the lobby before taking off in a sprint the rest of the way out of the doctor's office, hoping he hadn't given her too much time. He stopped on the sidewalk and caught his breath as he scanned the parking lot, searching for her car. He sighed. She was gone. Just for the Hell of it, he took another look, and sure enough, there was her car. It had been hidden behind a blue Ford truck, which had just pulled out.

Not bothering to see if any cars were coming, he ran out into the parking lot and over to her car. He gave the car a quick glance; he wanted to be sure it was actually hers. After confirming he had picked the right car, thanks to the skeleton family decal on the back window he had gotten her as a joke, he walked around to the driver's side door. He lifted his fist, about to knock on the window, when he realized the seat was unoccupied. He cursed under his breath. She couldn't have gotten _that_ far in seven minutes, especially on foot.

He needed to find her before she got back to the Jeffersonian if he was going to have any success convincing her to have the ultrasound. He realized that driving would be quicker than walking, so he headed to his SUV. He jumped into the driver's seat and nearly jumped when he felt a presence in the passenger seat. Slowly turning his head, his hand already reaching for his gun, he gasped. "Bones."

Brennan was sitting there, slumped towards the window, her head resting on the glass.

He shut the door and twisted his body towards her. "Bones?" He called again, his fingers brushing the top of her hand.

"I don't believe her, but I don't know why," she whispered. "Home pregnancy tests are only so affective in detecting pregnancy and are far more accurate _after _a woman has missed her period. It was foolish of me to have allowed your excitement to cloud my rationality." She exhaled. "Despite that, I am having an incredibly hard time believing it was a false positive."

He smiled, caressing her hand as he continued to watch her and listen.

"I feel pregnant, which makes no sense to me. I do not _feel_ things. You do." She shook her head. "I have no reason to question Dr. Judd's findings, but I am. I am and I don't know why I am. It's very frustrating."

He laughed.

She frowned, her brows furrowing. "This is not funny, Booth."

"What you're describing is instinct, Bones, of the maternal variety."

She shook her head. "No, I don't think so. There's no such thing."

"Then how do you explain knowing Christine's sick before we even physically check on her or she comes to us complaining of a stomach ache or sore throat?"

She blinked.

He looked at her knowingly. "I'm waiting."

"Well, I—it's quite simple actually, it—."

"Can't think of anything?" He smirked, knowing he was right.

She waved her hand at him. "Just give me a minute."

He gave her a full minute. "Well?"

"I have superb hearing." It was a lame explanation, but it was something. She knew he wasn't buying it, though; she would have been better off saying nothing at all.

His thumb passed over her knuckles and he leaned towards her. "Don't fight it, Bones. Go with it. Yeah, sometimes gut instincts can back fire on you, but most of time they pay off big time." He paused. "If you're not ready for the ultrasound, how about we just wait a couple of days for the blood test results? The urine test might have been negative, but those things are just glorified home pregnancy tests, right? And you've said a million times that those aren't always accurate. And whatever happened to waiting for all the facts in a situation before coming to a conclusion? We don't have all the facts here, Bones." He squeezed her hand.

She was quiet for a long time, her head now turned towards the window again, her eyes staring at nothing in particular. She hadn't talked in so long that it startled Booth when she said, "Okay."

He blinked. "Okay?"

"You're right." She leaned back and slumped down in her seat. "Do you think I'm crazy?" she asked, looking straight ahead.

He shook his head. "Of course not. Because if you're crazy, so am I."

She turned towards him, her lips slowly curving upwards into a smile.

"What do you want to do? It's your call."

She closed her eyes for a second before refocusing on him. "We have some time before Christine gets out of school. I want the ultrasound." She was afraid of what they'd discover or, more importantly, _not _discover, but she needed to know.

"You sure?"

She nodded. "Before, when I said your excitement was effecting me, that is still true, but you're not the only one to blame here. Perhaps my own desire to have another child has made me act rather irrationally, as well. Now that we're actively trying, I find myself wanting this more than I've ever wanted anything."

He put the key in the ignition and shifted the SUV into reverse. "Me too, Bones." He pulled out of the parking space and headed to the exit. Once he reached the main road, he aimed his vehicle towards the hospital and rested his hand, palm up, on the center console, in silent invitation.

She placed her hand in his and rested her head back on the seat. She closed her eyes and let out a breath.

The drive to the hospital was silent, except for the radio playing Soft Rock tunes in the background.

* * *

Booth and Brennan were called back into a room forty-five minutes after arriving at the hospital. The outpatient waiting room wasn't incredibly busy and Dr. Judd had called, even though Brennan originally declined her offer.

Brennan was currently sitting on the edge of the exam table, holding the edges of her paper gown closed over her chest. She was quiet as she looked around the room. One wall was covered in posters all depicting pregnancy, motherhood, or early infancy in some fashion, and there was a series of anatomy models of a pregnant woman's pelvis on the counter, one for the first two trimesters and two for the third.

Booth seemed especially captivated, if not a little sickened, by them. He picked up a third trimester model, the one showcasing the fetus at 40 weeks gestation and stared at it. The baby was so lifelike, it was freaky.

"Booth?" Brennan called, not wanting to sit in silence any longer.

He jumped, accidently knocking the model off the counter. The baby came lose and both hit the floor just as the door opened.

A petite woman entered the room, her dark eyes drawn to Booth, who was now on his knees, reaching for the plastic baby that had landed under the exam table. She smirked, shaking her head. Adjusting her glasses, she pulled over a rolling stool and took a seat. "Good afternoon. I'm Dr. Kingston."

He stood quickly, narrowly avoiding banging his head on the overhung edge of the bed, popped the baby back into the model uterus, and set it gently on the counter. "Uh, sorry about that."

Dr. Kingston just smiled. "You'd be surprised how many times that's happened." She paused. "I just want to confirm that you're here for an ultrasound?"

Brennan nodded. "Yes."

"Can you tell me more about why you're requesting an ultrasound? Dr. Judd couldn't disclose any of that information to me, seeing as she's bound by patient-doctor confidentiality."

Brennan swung her legs around and shifted to get more comfortable on the table. "I took two pregnancy tests a week ago and they were both positive, but the urine test Dr. Judd performed earlier was negative. Because the results are conflicting, I am unsure if I'm pregnant or not. Dr. Judd drew blood, but the results of that test will take time and I would very much like to know sooner rather than later," she explained.

Dr. Kingston nodded. "Waiting for conformation is almost always nerve-racking."

Brennan felt the urge to correct the doctor, but bit her tongue. Something couldn't almost always happen; those terms were mutually exclusive.

"Since you're already in the gown, let's go ahead and do the ultrasound now. We can discuss more afterwards." Dr. Kingston stood up and pulled over the ultrasound machine. She powered it on and looked at Brennan. "I'm going to do what's known as a transvaginal ultrasound. It will give me a much clearer picture of the developing pregnancy than a transabdominal ultrasound."

Brennan nodded, agreeing with the decision the doctor had made.

"You'll likely feel some pressure, but other than that it shouldn't be too uncomfortable." Dr. Kingston prepared the transducer, rolling a condom over the probe and making sure it was adequately lubricated. "I just need you to lie back and put your legs in the stirrups."

Brennan did as the doctor asked and looked at Booth, who looked incredibly uncomfortable, his eyes shifting between her pelvic region and the transducer Dr. Kingston was holding. She smirked. "Do you need a bucket, Booth?"

Booth swallowed and turned his head slowly towards her. "Huh?"

"You're very pale and you're sweating, both indications that you may soon vomit. I asked if you needed a bucket."

He shook his head. "I'm, no, I'm good, Bones." He grabbed her hand and leaned over, pressing a kiss to her hair. "Whenever you're ready, Doc."

Dr. Kingston nodded, getting into position. "Is this your first child?"

Brennan shook her head. "No. We have a four year-old daughter together and he has a son from a previous long-term, monogamous relationship."

Booth groaned.

Dr. Kingston smiled. She inserted the probe and studied the monitor.

Brennan clenched her jaw and blinked.

Booth gave Brennan's hand a squeeze, his heart racing.

Finally, Dr. Kingston exhaled and swiveled the monitor around so Booth and Brennan could see. With her pinky, she pointed at a spot on the screen. "I know there's not much to see, but here is the gestational sac."

At Dr. Kingston's observation, Brennan felt a familiar pressure behind her eyes and her jaw relaxed.

Booth groped at her shoulder as he started at the monitor. "What's that mean?"

"It means, congratulations," Dr. Kingston said.

"Wait, what? She's, Bones is, there's really a baby in there?"

Dr. Kingston nodded. "Yes."

"I knew it!" He turned his attention from the screen to Brennan. "Bones, you're pregnant!"

Brennan shook her head, glancing at him, a few tears spilling over her bottom lid and sliding down her cheeks.

He held both her hands and leaned over, capturing her lips with his. He broke away and skimmed his thumb over her cheeks. "No such thing as maternal instincts, huh?"

Brennan didn't comment, as her eyes and focus were drawn back to the machine. There was nothing to see, not really, but she knew it was there. There was no question about it.

"I estimate you're about four weeks along. Does that sound accurate?"

Brennan wasn't paying attention; she was in her own little world.

Booth was half listening and nodded, despite not having a clue what Dr. Kingston was asking.

Dr. Kingston shook her head and backed out of the room, choosing to give them some privacy. She'd come back in a few minutes to answer any questions they had and to wrap up the appointment.


	9. Chapter 9

Booth was in his own little world as he exited the elevator on the fourth floor. He practically skipped his way through the bullpen to his office and he'd been smiling since Dr. Judd confirmed the pregnancy three weeks ago. He didn't notice the voices suddenly quiet down, nor did he notice the stares he had been receiving from the other agents when he passed by them. If he had, he ignored them.

He unlocked his office door and slipped inside, kicking it shut again and drawing the blinds. He plopped down in the chair and as he reached to turn on his computer screen, he caught sight of one of the framed pictures on his desk. He smiled, though it faded a bit the harder he stared at the photographs of a smiling, wide-eyed, six-week-old Christine and a laughing, eighteen-month-old Parker. They were both so big now; it was hard to believe either of them had been that small.

His son was a full-blown teenager; he was already looking at colleges and yesterday during their weekly FaceTime session, he let slip that he was going out to the movies with a girl in his English class and implied it hadn't been the first time they had hung out just the two of them. The connection had cut off before Booth could question him about it.

His little girl was an adult stuck in a four year-old's body a lot of the time. He rarely saw her without a book, when she watched television, she preferred watching the news or something on the History, National Geographic, or Discovery channel, and he found himself reaching for a dictionary more frequently these days just so he could understand what in the world she was talking about.

Parker, even though he had a bit of an attitude problem and had cut many of their phone and video calls short to go out with his friends or play videogames, still liked to roughhouse, toss the football around, camp out in the backyard, and battle his Dad in epic Nerf or water gun fights (depending on the season) during his visits.

Christine, despite acting older than she actually was most of the time, still took baths with a hot pink rubber ducky and wore bunny slippers. She still liked to get tucked in, build forts out of pillows and couch cushions, and dance around the living room on Booth's feet. Leaf piles were still irresistible, paint, crayon, colored pencil, or marker rarely stayed in between the lines, and some words were still frequently, hilariously mispronounced.

As much as Booth loved watching them grow up, he loved those moments where it seemed like he stepped into a time machine and went back a few years more than anything. In all honesty, he lived for them.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a second and then refocused on the pictures. He set the double-frame down and slipped his hand in his pants' pocket, pulling out the small square photograph he had been carrying around for weeks. After brushing his thumb across the image, the smile on his face growing wider, he stuck one edge into the portion of the frame across the bottom of Christine's picture. He angled the frame in such a way that no one could see the sonogram unless they were sitting at his desk and glanced at it one last time before getting back to work. He'd have to invest in a tri-fold frame soon; that thought made him smile even more. He should have known his good mood wouldn't last much longer.

* * *

An hour later, Booth was dozing off in a meeting when he was startled awake by the buzzing of his cell phone in his pocket.

A newer agent sitting beside him turned her head and glared at him. There were so many people packed into the room that everyone was on top of everyone else. Not only could she hear the vibration, but it was likely she could feel it against her leg as well.

He shrugged his shoulders and ran his hand over his face. He hadn't even realized he'd fallen asleep. He grabbed his phone, earning another meaner glare from the blonde. He fought the urge to roll his eyes and quickly answered the call without checking the Caller I.D. "Booth."

"_Booth! Finally. It's Angela."_

He sat up straight, hearing the panic in the artist's voice. It was obviously not the first time she'd tried to get a hold of him and that made his heart sink a little.

"_Booth? Are you there? Hello?"_

He exhaled. "Yeah, uh, I'm here. Is Bones—is she okay?"

"_I don't know! She just, she just," _Angela sniffled, "_I walked into her office to show her a sketch for a mural I'm doing for Michael's playroom and she was—."_

"She was what, Angela?"

"_She was, I, Booth—."_

He slammed his fist onto the table in frustration, effectively getting the attention of everyone in the room. Not caring about the consequences of his actions, he got up and left. He made it about halfway to the elevator before he stopped and had to lean against the wall. "Angela, please, just tell me. What happened? Is she okay?"

"_She was on the floor by the couch. She was bleeding. I think she hit her head on the corner of the coffee table," _Angela said, somewhat composed. _"She looked like a ghost. I tried calling to her, but she didn't respond. Cam called 9-1-1 and the paramedics just took her. I'm in the car now. Hodgins is driving. She seemed fine twenty minutes ago. I don't know what—."_

He closed his eyes. So many scenarios were running through his mind at the moment, each worse than the one that came before. After taking note of the hospital, he hung up, shoving his phone back into his pocket. His breathing was coming faster and faster and his heart was racing. If he didn't calm down, he was sure to pass out and that was the last thing he needed to have happen right now. He was shaking and his eyes were glossed over. He was barely aware of his surroundings as he flew down the stairs.

As he sped out of the parking garage, cutting off another vehicle and just avoiding a crash in the process, he flicked on the siren and lights. He didn't care that this was technically an abuse of power since this wasn't official FBI business; he just cared about getting to hospital as quickly as possible. _She has to be okay. __**They**__ have to be okay._


	10. Chapter 10

Booth pulled up to the entrance of the Emergency Room and jumped out, the engine still running and the lights still flashing. He ran into the hospital and straight up to the check-in desk. He was about to knock on the counter when he heard someone call his name. He turned around and saw Angela rushing towards him.

He had barely had time to register her presence before he felt her flush against him, her arms tightly wound around his torso. "Angela?" His voice shook as he said her name. His heart was beating fast and his body was trembling as he waited for her to start speaking; her silence was unnerving. He had finally convinced himself pulling into the hospital parking lot that Brennan was fine, that the baby was okay, but Angela's reaction made him doubt that.

After a long minute, Angela stepped back. She cleared her throat and swallowed, blinking and wiping away excess tears. She motioned for him to follow her as she walked back over to where Hodgins was sitting in one of the uncomfortable waiting room chairs a few feet away.

He nodded and took a seat opposite the couple, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "What happened?"

She slumped against Hodgins, who gripped her hand, and sighed. "I don't know. The doctor, she was already being examined when we got here, but no one's told us anything. We—_that_ _woman_ over there won't tell us anything."

He turned his head and glanced in the direction of the check-in counter where Angela was looking at the blonde-haired woman starting intently at the computer screen. He turned back around and listened to Angela as she struggled to recount (again) exactly what had happened leading up to Cam calling 9-1-1. When the artist could barely even speak and Hodgins had pulled her into a somewhat awkward embrace due to how they were seated, he got up and stalked over to the check-in counter.

* * *

In the time it took Angela to communicate the day's earlier events, the blonde woman who had previously been seated at the computer had been replaced by a young, bearded man. He looked up just as Booth reached the counter. "May I help you, sir?"

"My wife, I need to know where she is and if she's okay. She's pregnant and I—just tell me if she's okay."

"Name?"

"Bones." Booth, realizing what he had just said, corrected himself. "Temperance Brennan."

The man raised an eyebrow at the odd nickname, but turned his focus to the computer. He quickly typed in the name and looked up at Booth once again. "I'm sorry, sir, there seems to be no record of a patient by that name here."

"What do you mean, no record?"

"It's possible she just hasn't been logged in yet." The man paused. "Someone will be out to update you shortly."

"That's not good enough. She's my wife, she's pregnant, okay? No one knows that. Just me and her. Something happened and I wasn't there and I don't know if they're okay. I can't lose them. So you get on that phone or get off your ass and find somebody who can tell me what's going on. Got it?"

"Sir, if you just—."

Booth shook his head. "No."

The man sighed. "I know you're worried, but your wife is being taken care of and as soon as there is something to tell, someone will be out to update you."

"You're not listening to me." Frustrated, Booth walked away and without a second thought, left the waiting room, on a mission to find out what was going on himself, since no one seemed to want to tell him anything.

* * *

Booth snuck behind the first curtain and was immediately shooed away by a nurse. He had similar luck with the second and third bay, as well. He paused in front of the fourth curtain, hearing a woman scream behind it. It didn't sound like Brennan, but he couldn't be sure until he took a peek. He squared his shoulders and pulled back the curtain just enough to see inside. He exhaled; it wasn't her. He moved on, coming up empty each time.

Standing in front of the last curtain, his heart was in his throat as he raised his hand to pull back the fabric. He closed his eyes for a split second and then slipped inside. He gasped when he saw her lying on the bed, so pale and still.

A nurse turned around and approached him. "Sir?"

He blinked, taking his off Brennan briefly to focus on the nurse. "Is she—what's—?"

The nurse walked him over to one of the chairs and sat him down. "What is your relation to this woman?"

"She's my," he swallowed, "my wife." He twisted his ring around his finger unconsciously and glanced back at the bed. "What's wrong with her? Is she okay?"

"Booth?"

He shot up at the sound of her voice and ran over to the bed. "Bones." He brushed his hand against her forehead.

Brennan blinked her eyes opened and smiled. "Hi."

"What the Hell happened?" he asked just as he noticed the gauze just above her right eye and the cervical collar around her neck.

Brennan blindly searched for his hand. "It's just a precaution, though it's highly unnecessary," she reassured, seeing him eying the collar. "I must have lost consciousness and hit my head on the corner of my coffee table. I recall sitting on my couch and working on my laptop. I remember feeling a bit lightheaded, but everything is a bit fuzzy after that."

Booth looked at the doctor, who was coming over to continue his examination. "Is she okay?"

The doctor smiled. "We'll get some x-rays of her spine and skull to make sure there are no fractures and a CT scan of her brain. She hit her head when she fainted, so there's a risk of a bleed." He paused. "She'll need stitches for the gash above her right eye, but we'll take care of that after she comes back."

"And the baby? Is the baby okay?" Booth was afraid to ask, but he needed to know.

"I've called for an OB consult, but from my initial examination of your wife, I feel comfortable saying everything is okay."

"So why'd she pass out?"

"It's possible she just did too much too fast, she could be a little dehydrated, or she might not be eating enough; however, it is more than likely just a symptom of pregnancy. The hormones produced during pregnancy relax the blood vessels, which results in too little blood being pumped up to the brain." The doctor paused. "I'll be happy to answer any questions you have, but first we really need to get her to radiology. If you'll just go out in the waiting room, I'll let you know when you can come see her."

Booth squeezed Brennan's hand.

Brennan smiled. "I'm fine, Booth. You're worrying too much."

"Bones, Angela called me freaked out because she found you on the floor of your office, covered in blood. She told me she tried to call you but you didn't respond. Do you have any idea how scared I was? I didn't know what was going on or if you and the baby were okay. I think I have a right to be worried."

She sighed. "I'm _fine._" She shook her head. "And 'covered in blood' is an exaggeration, Booth. It is only a scratch."

He touched the gauze over her eye. "A scratch doesn't require stitches, Bones." He let his hand fall away. "And if you were fine, you wouldn't be here right now needing all these scans and consults."

"I was attempting to make you feel less anxious."

He nodded, not able to hide his smile. "I know."

"Tell Angela I apologize if I frightened her." Her eyes widened. "Does she know?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so."

She exhaled. "I thought she might have figured it out. Before this incident, she mentioned that she thinks you and I had been acting strange for a few weeks now and she wants to know what's going on. She said she's never seen us so giddy."

"We'll just have to control ourselves a little better, don't we?"

The doctor cleared his throat.

Booth glanced at the doctor and then back at Brennan. "I'll be in the waiting room."

She squeezed his hand.

He nodded. "I love you."

She smiled, wanting desperately to turn her head towards him but the cervical collar prevented that. "I love you too," she whispered.

"God, Bones, this pregnancy isn't even a quarter of the way through and you've already managed to give me a heart attack. How am I supposed to survive the rest of it?"

She smirked. "There's a simple solution."

"And what would that be? Does it involve me wrapping you up in a giant bubble? Because that can be arranged."

She rolled her eyes. "No. It involves you being less overprotective. If you care less, your risk of suffering a heart attack is reduced significantly."

"Not going to happen. I care _too _much to care less."

"Booth—."

The doctor finally cut in. "Sir—."

"Right." Booth gave Brennan a quick kiss on the forehead and squeezed her hand. "I'll see you soon." He reluctantly let go and disappeared behind the curtain.

She looked at the doctor. "This is all very unnecessary."

"Maybe, maybe not. We have to rule out every possibility."

A nurse came in and prepped Brennan for transport and a few minutes later, she was being taken to radiology.

* * *

Close to an hour later, Brennan was lying somewhat comfortably in a hospital bed. She was tired, her head was pounding, and she wanted to go home. She turned towards the door, an easy task now that the collar had been removed, and smiled when Booth entered the room. "Hi."

Booth smiled back. "Hi yourself." He approached the bed and pulled over a chair. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. I have a headache and I'm tired, but otherwise, I'm perfectly fine. The obstetrician will be here shortly to check on the baby."

He brushed her hair out of her face. "Dr. White said he'd be in soon to do your stitches."

She nodded. "Yes, he did mention that, as well. He told me ten minutes."

"So no fractures?"

"I told you I was okay."

He nodded, grabbing her hand. "I know."

"I have a concussion, however."

"Yeah, I was afraid of that."

She nodded, resting her back on the pillows and closing her eyes as she let out a breath.

"You okay, Bones?"

She smiled. "I'm okay, just tired."

"Rest." He skimmed his thumb across her forehead, down her cheek, and along her jaw.

"Was Angela upset with me?"

He shook his head. "No. She's just worried. I told her you'd be up for visitors later, after you get your stitches. She and Hodgins are in the cafeteria right now."

She nodded. "Booth?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry I scared you."

"It's okay. I'm just glad you're okay."

A knock on the door interrupted the moment. Dr. White walked in and smiled. "Hello again." He walked around the bed and set the suture kit on the bedside table. "I'll try and make this as quick and painless as possible." He removed the gauze, cleaned the wound, and then numbed the area before he proceeded to stitch her up. Seven stitches later, he was done and put on a fresh bandage. "That wasn't too bad, right?"

She shook her head, feeling drained suddenly.

"I'll leave to rest. Dr. Hilltower is finishing up with a patient and then she'll be in to see you."

"Thank you, Dr. White."

"No problem," the doctor nodded and left the room.

"That looked like it hurt." Booth winced just thinking about the way the doctor had thread the needle in and out of her skin. Getting stitches yourself and watching someone you love getting them was a totally different experience.

"It was not pleasant," she agreed.

He pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "You look exhausted."

"I am."

Another knock came a minute later; this time the obstetrician came in, a bright smile on her face as she pushed an ultrasound machine into the room. "So I hear you had a syncopal episode this afternoon?" she asked Brennan while setting up the machine.

Brennan nodded. "Yes."

"Any cramping? Vaginal bleeding?"

"No."

Dr. Hilltower, a relatively tall woman with faded blonde hair and overly teased eyebrows, lifted the sheet and palpated Brennan's stomach. Satisfied, she stepped back and prepped Brennan for the ultrasound. "How far along are you?"

"Seven weeks," Brennan managed to mutter. All she wanted to do was sleep, even though it was only mid-afternoon.

Dr. Hilltower smiled and moved the transducer over Brennan's belly, her eyes fixated on the screen. "Here we go—oh."

Booth blinked. "Oh? Why oh? What's wrong?"

Brennan shifted and stared at the doctor, a little more wide awake now.

Dr. Hilltower shook her head. "Nothing's wrong." She paused and angled the monitor more so they could see the screen better. "Both babies are doing great. Those little flickers are the babies' heartbeats."

Booth swallowed. "Did you just say babies?" He turned to Brennan. "I think she just said babies, Bones."

"Babies?"

Dr. Hilltower nodded. "Congratulations." She paused. "They're about the size of blueberries right now."

Booth grinned. "There are really two babies in there?"

"Yes."

"And they're okay?"

"Yes."

He looked at Brennan, squeezing her hand. "We're having blueberries, Bones." He shook his head, letting out a chuckle. "I mean, twins."

Brennan laughed.

Dr. Hilltower smiled. "Do you have any questions for me?"

They both shook their heads, too overwhelmed to think of a question to ask.

"Then I leave you with these." Dr. Hilltower handed each a sonogram, wiped off Brennan's stomach, and shut down the machine. She congratulated them again before leaving the room.

Booth blinked when he heard the door click. He looked down at the square photo and swallowed. Twins. Oh, boy.

Brennan looked up at him. "Can you go find Dr. White and ask him when I can go home? Because I'd very much like to go home now."

He pulled his attention away from the grainy photo and focused on Brennan. "Hmm, oh, uh, yeah." He paused. "This is big, Bones."

She nodded. "It's a bit overwhelming."

"Yeah, but we can handle it." He paused. "You're not regretting this now, are you?"

She shook her head. "Of course not."

He smiled. "Good." He took her by surprise when he leaned over and crashed his lips against hers. "I love you," he whispered against her mouth after pulling away just slightly.

"I love you too." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and closed her eyes.

"I'll go get Dr. White and check to see if Angela and Hodgins are back from the cafeteria. I'll send them back if I find them."

She nodded. "Don't say anything about our blueberries." She felt a little foolish saying that out loud, but she did it anyway.

He smiled. "I won't." He gave her another quick kiss and then left the room.

* * *

**_Thanks for the reviews/follows/favorites. You guys are awesome!_**

**_Hope you liked this chapter :)_**


	11. Chapter 11

Brennan tipped her head back and rested it against the wall of the shower, the water cascading down her face. Twins. Two babies. Twenty fingers. Twenty toes. 412 bones. The news hadn't completely sunken in until minutes ago, a month after finding out about them.

It started with a dream. She was at work, struggling to see beyond her belly to the skeleton laid out on the table in front of her, when she felt the first contraction. She ignored them as long as she could, but after an hour and a half, they grew too strong. She was having difficulty concentrating and the pain was so bad at points that she could barely stand. She tried calling Booth, each time it going straight to voicemail. Frustrated, she went in search of Angela, who of course she couldn't find. In fact, she realized she was alone at the lab. She ended up driving herself to the hospital; however, she had to pull over halfway there because she began to feel pressure so intense she couldn't see straight any longer. With her hazard lights flashing, she climbed into the backseat and leaned against the door behind the driver's seat. She bent her legs slightly, her feet pressed into the other door, and pushed. A few minutes later, two babies slid out, screaming and crying and wriggling around. She tried to comfort them, but she couldn't move and her arms seemed to shrink every time she reached for her sons. Everything grew quiet suddenly and in the span of a few seconds, the babies transformed into grown men. She jolted awake shortly afterwards, screaming, breathing heavy, her heart racing, her whole body shaking.

Her screaming woke Booth up and without any words exchanged, he pulled her into his arms and held her. She knew he was frightened and concerned, but she couldn't speak, couldn't even begin to explain what her dream was about. She managed to relax enough to fall back asleep, only to be woken up an hour later because of nausea and a full bladder. She hadn't wanted to get up, but the need to urinate grew too great to ignore. She slowly stood up, her stomach doing a little flip, which sent her running to the toilet. She had been feeling queasy since about a week after she was released from the hospital following her syncope episode, but it wasn't unbearable; she always felt better around lunchtime and up until this morning, she hadn't gotten to the point of getting physically sick. Her nausea had been all but nonexistent at this stage in her pregnancy the first time around. The fact that it was getting worse and not better made her pause; it was a reminder that her dream wasn't just a dream.

Despite Booth's one extra belly kiss and good morning, which had been added to his routine over the past month, it wasn't until she was getting ready to take a shower that it truly hit her. She had just disrobed and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. It shocked her. She had a small baby bump. She had gained some weight over the last two and a half months, enough that Angela commented on it, but seeing her abdomen take on a rounder appearance made it all the more real. With her first pregnancy, she hadn't shown until well into her second trimester.

Between the dream, the vomiting, and the noticeable baby bump, she couldn't ignore it any longer. Two babies were coming whether she was prepared for their arrival or not.

"Bones? You okay in there?"

Booth's voice coming through the bathroom door brought her back to the present. She let out a breath and stepped out from underneath the showerhead. "I'm fine," she called back.

"Are you sure?"

She sighed, turning off the shower. She got out and wrapped the towel around her body before walking over to the door and opening it. She looked up at him and flashed him a small smile. "Yes, I'm sure."

He blinked, taking her in. "You don't look fine."

"Give me a minute to get dressed."

He nodded and backed up, watching her shut the door. He sighed and sat on the edge of the bed.

* * *

Brennan opened the door minutes later, dressed in slacks and a loose fitting blouse. She walked passed Booth and picked up the blazer that she had slung over the back of the chair. She slipped it on and turned to face him. "Is Christine ready for school?"

Booth nodded. "She's in the kitchen having a bowl of cereal."

"That wasn't my question."

He rolled his eyes. "She's dressed and her backpack is stuffed to the zipper."

"Good because she cannot miss the bus again this morning." She sank down on the mattress to put on her boots. It wouldn't be long until her feet and ankles were too swollen to wear shoes with any type of heel.

"You got sick this morning."

"I'm pregnant. That might happen occasionally."

"Bones."

She slumped forward and looked at him. "Yes, I did."

"You feeling better?"

"Yes, though I'm still quite nauseated. I don't think I'm going to eat breakfast. Perhaps, I'll have some tea with lemon in it. Hopefully, the citrus will help settle my stomach."

"Something else is bothering you."

"We're having twins, Booth."

He beamed. "Yeah, I know."

"I don't think you understand. In seven months, we're going to have two newborns."

He smiled even wider. "Yeah, I know."

She grunted. "Two babies, Booth."

"Bones."

"I just—we work, our jobs are stressful and the hours are long, we have a daughter, who still needs us, and what happens when Parker comes to visit? I—I'm not sure this is such a good idea. I don't think I thought this through before I agreed to have another child. I didn't even consider twins, which is foolish because the chance of conceiving multiples increases with age."

His eyes widened. "I thought you said you didn't regret this, Bones."

"I—it just hit me, Booth."

He scooted closer to her and took her hand. "We can do this."

"I'm just freaking out. The feeling will pass."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and squeezed her hand. "Can you tell me about your dream?"

"Later."

He nodded. "Okay." He paused. "Everything's gonna be fine."

"I just need some time to get used to this." She sighed. "I want to show you something."

He waited and when she didn't move, he nudged her. "What is it?"

She stood up and untucked her blouse from the waistband of her pants. She rolled it up and turned to face him.

He stared at her, unsure where to focus. He settled his gaze on her belly and a smile slowly grew on his face. "Bones, you're—." He reached out and pressed both hands flat on her stomach.

She was surprised to see tears in his eyes. "Booth?"

He cleared his throat and blinked, pulling his hands away and standing up. "Uh, I'm going to go check on Christine. The bus will be here soon." He turned to leave, but she grabbed his hand.

"I'm happy. I'm just, it's overwhelming."

He nodded. "I know." He squeezed her hand. "You know what helps me? I look at the most recent sonogram and think about getting to watch two little babies grow up. Yeah, there's gonna be some not so fun stuff, but just think, Bones. Twice the smiles and twice the laughs. Twice the kisses and twice the hugs. Twice the 'mamas' and 'dadas' and twice the 'I love yous'. I think about that and think about what they're gonna look like. If we're gonna have two boys or two girls or one of each. If they're gonna be more like me or more like you or a mix of both of our personalities. I'm scared; everything is still so unknown and we're never going to be 100 percent prepared for what's to come, but it's exciting and I know we'll be okay. This is just another challenge for us to overcome and we will, we will overcome this."

"Our figs are very lucky to have you as their father, Booth."

"Figs?"

She nodded. "Yes, according to this application for my phone, the babies are now the size of figs."

He shuddered, an image of a fig tree popping into his head without warning. "They'll always be blueberries to me, Bones, so if you don't mind, I'll stick with that."

"I don't like figs."

He smiled.

"We need to come up with a better nickname for the babies. Other than blueberries, I mean. It's very long."

He placed his right hand over her belly and his eyes twinkled as he said, "Blue," he moved his hand over slightly, "Bear." He smiled and left the room.

She closed her eyes and rested her hand where his had just been. He always had a way of making her feel better and that was one of the many reasons she loved him. She let out a breath and finished getting ready for the day.


	12. Chapter 12

_**There's a slight time jump between the last chapter and this one, in case you couldn't tell...**_

* * *

Brennan was sitting up in bed, reading, when Christine walked into the room and climbed up onto the mattress.

The little girl crawled up to the pillows and leaned back, tilting her head towards her mom.

Brennan lowered the journal onto her lap and looked down at her daughter. "I thought Daddy was supposed to be tucking you in?"

Christine nodded, shrugging her shoulders. "He was. I excaped."

"You escaped?" Brennan smiled. "Why?"

"I wanna ask you something." Christine grew serious, no hint of a smile on her lips or sparkle in her eye.

Brennan turned her body towards Christine and swallowed. "What did you want to ask me?"

"Are you gonna die?" Christine's eyes welled with tears and her voice shook.

Brennan blinked. "What?" She paused, tossing the journal onto her nightstand and reaching for the trembling little girl. "Why—no, of course not." She nodded. "Well, I will one day, but I don't plan on dying any time soon," she amended.

"Okay." Christine went to slide off the bed, but Brennan held onto her.

"Why are you asking me this? Did something happen at school today?"

Christine nodded and played with a loose string on her Cinderella nightgown.

"What happened?"

Christine sniffled. "Jenny's," she coughed, "Jenny's daddy had a heart attack and she had to leave early. Her sister came and picked her up and she was crying. It was really bad."

Brennan was confused; she didn't get the connection. "What does this have to do with me dying, Honey?"

"Jenny's daddy was a really big man and big people have weak hearts. Their arteries are all blocked and blood can't go through them poprely, so their hearts don't get enough oxygen. If a heart doesn't get enough oxygen, it can't work right," Christine explained, not making eye contact.

"I know that, Sweetheart, but I still don't understand how this relates to me or my imminent demise."

Christine sighed. "Mommy, you're getting big. I don't want your arteries to get blocked and your heart to stop working right. I don't want you to die. You need to exercise a lot and eat your veggie tales."

Booth walked in the room and sighed in relief. "There you are. It's bed time."

"Not yet, Daddy. I'm expaining to Mommy that she has to exercise and eat her veggie tales 'cause I don't want her arteries to get blocked. She's getting big like Jenny's Daddy and Jenny's Daddy is in the hospital 'cause he had a heart attack 'cause he's a big man and his heart stopped working like it's supposed to 'cause his arteries are all blocked up with fat and his heart isn't getting enough oxygen." Christine exhaled, slumping back against the pillows.

Booth just stared at his daughter and then shifted his gaze to Brennan before returning his forcus to Christine. "Honey, I think we need to talk." He sat down on his side, sandwiching Christine in between the two adults.

Christine scooted close to him and looked up. "I'm listening, Daddy."

Booth looked over at Brennan again, silently asking for permission. At her nod, he let out a breath and brushed some of Christine's hair out of her face. "Mommy isn't getting big because she's not exercising or eating her vegetables."

Christine's forehead wrinkled as she frowned.

Booth sighed. "Christine—." He didn't know what to say.

Brennan jumped in. "Christine, I'm not overweight; I'm pregnant."

Christine's head spun around. "I don't know what that means, Mommy."

"It means, I'm going to have a baby. You're going to be a big sister, like Parker is a big brother."

Christine's eyes widened. "A baby?"

"Two babies, actually." Brennan took her daughter's hand and placed it on her growing belly.

Christine focused on her mom's stomach and blinked. "How'd they get in there?"

Booth froze and quickly exited the room, not wanting to be present for this conversation.

Brennan just shook her head, watching Booth leave the room in a hurry. The man could cockily blurt out that they were doing quite fine, sexually speaking, to his friends and go to the store to pick up a pregnancy test, but the second his daughter asked where babies came from, he couldn't even stick around to listen, let alone answer her question; Brennan would never understand him. Smiling at his retreating form for a few seconds, she turned back to Christine and explained the process of reproduction as detailed as she could, trying to keep it as PG and simple-worded as possible, as she remembered she was speaking to a five year-old. "We don't know what sex they are as of yet or if they're fraternal or identical, but I have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and hopefully the babies will cooperate, so we can know if we're having two boys, two girls, or one of each."

"What's faternal mean?"

"Fraternal means they started out as two different fertilized eggs. They may look very similar, share similar physiological traits, such as similar noses or ears, or they may look nothing alike. Identical, on the other hand, means they started out as one fertilized egg, but split into two. Their DNA is nearly identical, as is their physical appearance."

Christine nodded in understanding.

"I'm very healthy, Sweetheart. My blood pressure is within normal range and my heart and lungs are working properly. I don't have high cholesterol, I eat a balanced diet, and I exercise regularly, or I try to, at least. It's been difficult because I'm more fatigued than usual and my ankles have already started to swell, but I do what I can."

"When are the babies gonna get here? How do they get out of there?"

Brennan leaned over and kissed the top of Christine's head. "I am currently 17 weeks along. The babies are due in September, but will likely be early, so I am expecting to give birth sometime in August." She paused and addressed her daughter's other question.

Brennan was sure her daughter fell asleep, as the room fell silent, but then Christine looked up at her and said, "I don't want a little brother or sister, Mommy."

Brennan's heart squeezed painfully in her chest and she felt like she couldn't take a deep breath. "Wha—why not?"

"I just don't want one." Christine jumped off the bed and ran out of the room, colliding with Booth, who was waiting just outside in the hallway.

"Whoa, Princess." Booth caught her and picked her up, balancing her on his hip. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want a little brother or sister." Christine wrapped her arms around her dad's neck and buried her face in his shoulder.

Booth stared into the bedroom and saw Brennan close to tears, her face pale. "Why not?"

Christine shrugged. "'Cause I don't."

"You have to give me a better reason than that."

Christine shook her head.

"I think it's time for bed." Booth carried Christine into her room and tucked her in, making sure she had her doll and stuffed bunny before he kissed her forehead and whispered goodnight. He left the room, switching off the light and shutting the door. On his way back to his bedroom, he stopped, leaned against the wall, and let out a breath. He had hoped Christine would be elated with the news, but so far, she was anything but. This was big news, so he knew she needed time to adjust, but he was terrified the situation wouldn't get better, that she'd always insist she didn't want a baby brother or sister (let alone two) and that she'd end up resenting the babies or him and Brennan for making this her reality.

* * *

Brennan was lying on her side when Booth entered the room. "She's upset."

Booth nodded, crawling into bed and wrapping his arms around her, her belly in between them. "I know, but she's a little kid. This is big news. She needs some time to get used to all this. We just need to get her involved. We can take her shopping with us when we go pick up things for the nursery and she can help us pick out names for the babies once we know what we're having. I'm sure she'd love it if we take her along on one of your doctor's visits. She's a lot like you, Bones. She needs to see things with her own eyes. Maybe once she sees the babies moving around on the screen, she'll be happier with the idea. I remember my mom got me one of those big brother books when she and my dad told me she was pregnant with Jared and it really helped me."

"We did spring this on her rather suddenly," Brennan agreed.

"We didn't have a choice, Bones."

She nodded. "I'm not saying there was another way."

He placed his hand on her stomach and brushed his thumb back and forth against the fabric of her oversized sleep sweatshirt. "She'll come around." He leaned over and pressed a kiss on the left side of her belly. "Don't worry, Blue, your big sister will love you." He let out a breath and kissed her on the right side. "You'll see, Bear, Christine will come around and you'll be sick of her before you're even born. She's a great kid and she loves to talk, so be ready. Hope you two are good listeners." He lifted his head and caught Brennan's lips with his, his hands still on her stomach.

"I hope when we tell our friends on Friday that it goes more smoothly than this. I'm nervous. Angela will likely me angry with me because I haven't told her yet and have been refusing to answer any of her questions regarding my sudden change in behavior."

Booth rolled his eyes. "Angela will understand."

"Angela tends to take things personally, so I would like to believe you, but I am not so sure she will. Perhaps eventually, but she will be angry at first." Brennan yawned. "I'm tired. I'd like to go to sleep now. Goodnight, Booth." She reached over and switched off her bedside lamp. "I wish I was as optimistic as you seem to be," she whispered.

"I've got the same worries you do, Bones." He snuggled as close to her as he could get and let his head rest on his pillow. Closing his eyes, he breathed out and ran his fingers up and down her arm, kneading her neck and shoulder when he reached the top.

"I've been so overwhelmed with the prospect of caring for two newborns that I haven't stopped, really stopped, to think about how Christine was going to feel about all of this. Perhaps if I had, I'd have been more prepared for her reaction tonight."

"We weren't going to tell her yet, so of course, we weren't ready, but hey, now she knows and she'll have more time to get used to the idea." He paused to get in a better position for sleep and then said, "She doesn't have school on Wednesday and we were going to have Max babysit, but maybe we should take her with us to your doctor's appointment. It'll be fun. Since we both took the morning off, we can go check out some things we might consider for the nursery. She can pick out a stuffed animal or something for the babies."

"I don't know, Booth."

"Think about it. We can ask her in the morning."

She nodded. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask her. If she seems okay with the idea, then I'd love to take her with us." She smiled and let her eyes fall shut.

"Goodnight, Bones."

"Goodnight, Booth." She rolled onto her other side, pushing her back against his chest and stomach.

He wrapped his arm around her, his hand splayed protectively over her baby bump. "I love you."

"Love you," she slurred, already half asleep.

He buried his face in her hair and kissed the back of her head before finding a more comfortable position to sleep in. "Love you too, Blue, Bear. Goodnight. You just focus on getting big and strong and let me worry about all the stuff out here."

She scooted back in her sleep and let out a breath.

He smiled and drifted off shortly afterwards.

* * *

**_Any preference on what sex the babies are? _**

**_Hope you liked this chapter...more to come soon_**


	13. Chapter 13

It was Friday and per her agreement with Booth, Brennan called everyone into her office shortly after nine, where she proceeded to request their presence at the Founding Fathers' Bar at seven that evening. After avoiding everyone for the last three months, confining herself mostly to Limbo and her office and declining all of their offers for drinks after work to the point where they just stopped asking (with the exception of Angela, who just wouldn't give up), the invite came as a surprise. When the shock wore off, each accepted and everyone but Angela left the office to get back to work.

Brennan, who had turned her focus back to her computer screen, failed to realize her best friend had stayed behind until a clearing of a throat alerted her to the other person in the room.

Angela sank onto the couch. "I've been trying to get you to go out for drinks for months, Sweetie. I've lost count of how many offers for coffee you've turned down and I'm still waiting on that rain check for our shopping trip you cancelled last minute two weeks ago. Now, all of a sudden, you want to go out with entire team? Something's going on here and I think I know what it is."

Brennan glanced over at a clearly frustrated Angela and swallowed. "There's nothing going on. I've just been busy and this is the first free night I've had in a while. Rather than spend it at home, Booth and I thought it might be a good idea to go out and he suggested we invite all of you."

Angela shook her head. "Cut the crap, Bren. I was trying to be patient, but I can't take it anymore. Did you really think you could hide something this big from me?"

Brennan turned back to her computer, hoping ignoring Angela would make her go away. No such luck. "What do you want, Angela. I'm very busy."

"Busy lying to me, busy avoiding me. Now spill."

"If you already supposedly know what I'm going to _spill, _why should I spill it?"

Angela grunted. "Sometimes, Sweetie, I just want to strangle you, and I say that with love." She paused. "I know you're pregnant."

Brennan gasped.

"Aha, so it is true." Angela smiled.

"Why—why didn't you—you knew? For how long?"

"About a month."

Brennan sighed, turning to give her full attention to her friend. "I'm sorry."

"Why didn't you tell me? I told you I was pregnant before Hodgins even knew."

Brennan shrugged, deciding it would be useless not to tell Angela the truth, the whole truth. "When Booth and I decided we wanted to try and conceive—."

"Wait, this baby was planned?"

"Of course, Angela. Booth and I have been very careful."

"Like you were so careful the first time?"

"That," Brennan shook her head, "that was different. Our emotions, _my _emotions, were, they were overwhelming and my brain wasn't working to its optimum potential. Our judgment was off." She paused. "As I was saying, when Booth and I decided to try for another baby, we agreed we weren't going to tell anyone what we were doing. We had no idea how long it would take or if it was even possible, so we didn't want to say anything until there was something to say. Besides, it was no one's business but our own."

"I'm waiting until you get to the part where you and Booth agreed to keep the pregnancy from me."

"We agreed not to tell anyone, Angela, not just you. I understand as my best friend, you want to believe you have certain privileges, privileges that my other friends don't have, but it's not true. Yes, there are certain things I tell you that I would not share with anyone, not even Booth, though those things are not as numerous as they once were, but we wanted to keep this between us. Because there was some confusion surrounding my pregnancy in the very beginning, Booth and I agreed not to share the news until after I reached twelve weeks; however, that timeline changed after my syncope episode."

"Because Booth was afraid to lose the baby?"

"Yes, but also because I am technically a high risk patient now. If I had my way, I would have kept my entire pregnancy a secret, but it's becoming more difficult to conceal. I thought I was doing a good job, but obviously I haven't been able to hide it as well as I had hoped. Tonight seemed like the right night to do this. I wanted to wait until after my appointment next week, that way I could reveal the sex of the babies as well as the fact that I am pregnant, but Booth has decided he doesn't want anyone but him, Christine, Parker, and me to know what we're having. I don't see the point in that, but he insists he wants it to be a surprise."

Angela coughed. "Babies?" She had stopped listening after that.

"Have I not mentioned that I'm having twins?"

Angela shook her head. "Uh, no, you forget that part."

"Oh, well, I am having twins." Brennan paused. "I would appreciate if you kept this between us until tonight."

Angela nodded "I'm still mad at you."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I do not regret my decision." Brennan paused. "And before you even ask, the answer is no."

Angela blinked and threw her hands up. "What?"

"I believe you are going to ask me to tell you the sex of the babies when I know and that is not going to happen. Even if I don't see the purpose in keeping it a secret, Booth has made his desire known and I intend to honor that."

"How am I supposed to go baby shopping if I don't know if I should be buying little baseball uniforms or pretty pink tutus?"

"They have quite an extensive selection of gender-neutral clothing on the market these days; I'm sure you can find something. If that doesn't appeal to you, you can buy all the gender-specific clothing you want. You'll know which options to go with when the babies are born."

"And the nursery?"

"What about the nursery? The sex of the babies is not going to be a surprise to Booth and me, Angela, just everyone else." Brennan paused. "I actually have work to do, as I'm sure you do as well."

"I still can't believe you thought you could keep this from me." Angela shook her head. "And just so you know, all of them," she pointed out the door at Cam, Hodgins, and Wendell who were up on the platform, "have probably already figured it out, Sweetie. Your lab coat only hides so much and just because you avoid everyone doesn't mean they don't see you away from your desk or a lab table from time to time." She smiled and left the room, passing Booth on her way towards the forensic platform. "Way to go, Booth. When you do something, you do it BIG." She clapped him on the shoulder and smirked as she walked away.

* * *

Booth pursed his lips at the comment and walked into Brennan's office. "She knows?"

Brennan nodded. "And she informed me that she believes everyone else does as well."

He shrugged.

"Are you mad?'

He blinked. "Me? You're the one who wanted to keep the pregnancy a secret, not me."

"You agreed. You said it would be better to keep it to ourselves for as long as we could."

"Looks like that time's now."

"I suppose so." She smiled. "I'm actually looking forward to this evening."

"You are?"

She nodded. "Yes. It's been very difficult avoiding everyone for the last three months, even though it was my choice to do so, and once the news is out and the shock wears off, everything will return to normal. They'll say their congratulations, give us hugs or high fives, and then we'll eat dinner, have a few drinks, and move on with our lives, at least until the babies are born. But eventually, the novelty of the twins will wear off, as well."

He just looked at her and shook his head. "Whatever you say, Bones."

"Did you need something?"

"Nope. Just bored at the office and wanted to come over here and bug you." He smiled as he plopped down on the couch and propped up his feet on the coffee table.

She rolled her eyes. "If that's all, I have work to do." She ignored him as he huffed and shifted on the cushions. She pulled a notebook out of the top drawer of her desk and grabbed a pen. She clicked it and closed her eyes for a moment before jotting a few things down.

"Whatcha writing?" Booth asked, straining his neck to see, despite still being on the couch.

She quickly slapped the book closed and put it away. "Nothing. Are you done bugging me? Because I have actual work that needs to get done before the weekend and if you don't want me to work tomorrow or Sunday, I suggest you leave." She paused. "Go bug Cam."

He stuck out his tongue. "You're no fun." He stood up, crossed the room, and leaned over her desk. "Bones."

She jumped, not realizing he had left the couch and was now standing in front of her. She glanced up at him just as he dipped his head lower, capturing her lips with his. She sighed into the kiss and closed her eyes. "Lunch?" she asked after he pulled away.

"I'll see if I'm done annoying Cam by then." He winked and left her office to go find the pathologist.

She shook her head and turned her back towards the door, opening up a blank word document, periodically glancing at the folder she had open on her desk. She paused in her typing and moved her hand across her growing belly. "Now that your father is done annoying me, perhaps I can focus. That means the two of you need to quit moving around so much."

Booth poked his head back in. "Did you say something?"

She tilted her head towards the door. "Huh? Oh, no, I was just speaking to myself. I do that frequently when I'm working. It helps me focus."

He raised an eyebrow, a clear sign he didn't believe her. "Whatever you say, Bones," he repeated. He walked back in and behind her desk, perching himself on the edge of it. He leaned over and placed his hands just to the outside of hers. "Are they moving?"

She nodded. "Yes, a lot. Bear likes to kick, but it's very light, and Blue enjoys tumbling," she answered, using the nicknames he coined, something she had found herself doing more and more now, even when he wasn't around. She repositioned his hands to where she knew the babies were.

"It's weird, right? Feeling them move around in there?" He couldn't wait until he could feel them kick.

"The feeling is quite strange, but it's also wonderful." She smiled. "Do you remember when Christine moved for the first time?"

He laughed. "How could I forget? We were in the middle of an interrogation and you let out a pretty loud 'oh'."

"It surprised me," she defended herself.

"I bet. You scared me half to death. I thought something was wrong! You're lucky the suspect didn't take the distraction as an opportunity to escape."

"He wouldn't have gotten very far." She moved her hand over one of his and closed her eyes. "Can you leave now so I can finish what I'm doing?"

He gave her another quick kiss and stood up. "I'll see you later." He pulled a granola square out of his pocket and set it down on her desk. "Thought you might be hungry." He smiled when she immediately scooped it up and unwrapped it. He watched as she devoured the dark chocolate coated square. "Good?"

"Got anymore?"

He started to shake his head and bit back a smile at her frown before pulling two more out. "I've gotta run. Call me if you need anything."

She nodded, too busy eating her second granola square to really pay attention to what he was saying.

"Bye, Bones."

"Bye," she said distractedly, waving.

He shook his head and walked out of her office, deciding to just head back to the Hoover. Annoying Cam wasn't as much fun as bugging his wife. He had some paperwork he should be doing anyway. Plus, he needed to think of a plan to get Christine on board with the whole 'twins' thing because she was getting way too good at the silent treatment.

As he drove back to the office, his thoughts shifted to tonight. He was both nervous and excited at the same time, but he knew everyone would be happy for them. He was somewhat of a superstitious guy, so he feared something was going to happen now that the pregnancy wouldn't be a secret anymore. He shook his head, ridding himself of that thought immediately. He didn't want to think about that, not now, not ever. Everything was going to be fine.

* * *

**_The next chapter will likely be the doctor's appointment/shopping trip, meaning I'll be skipping the pregnancy reveal scene at the Founding Fathers, but I haven't completely decided yet. We'll see._**

**_I'm also going to try and update before next weekend, possibly Wednesday._**

**_Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter :)_**


	14. Chapter 14

**_Sorry for the delay. This chapter was giving me some difficulties, but I hope you like it..._**

* * *

Brennan twisted in her seat and watched Booth as he approached the table with their drinks. She flashed him a smile when he set a glass down in front of her and then took a seat beside her. She sipped at her water and glanced around at their friends.

"Okay, what is this about?" Cam asked, fed up with the silence. They had been sitting at the restaurant for at least fifteen minutes already. It was still unclear exactly why they were there, though she had an idea. She didn't buy the whole 'much needed night out with friends' spiel Booth tried to sell her when she asked him earlier.

A few nods followed, the guys agreeing with the pathologist.

Brennan suddenly felt nauseated. Whether the queasy feeling was caused by the strong variety of smells in the restaurant or nerves, she didn't know; all she knew was that she needed air and quick. She shot up, rounded the table, and walked towards the exit, brushing past a group of people on her way out.

Hodgins turned in his chair and watched his friend flee, his eyes wide. He looked at Wendell, who was seated beside him, the intern in a similar state of shock.

In her haste for air, Brennan had forgotten to grab her oversized coat, her somewhat fitted blouse doing nothing to hide her growing baby bump.

Aubrey blinked. "Whoa, _baby_."

Booth chose to ignore the young agent. "I'll be right back." He got up and followed Brennan out of the restaurant. He saw her skin pale and the way her eyes glazed over slightly, but before he could ask what was wrong, she was gone.

Cam stared at the door for a second before taking a sip of wine and looking around the table. "No one's surprised, are they?"

Hodgins shook his head. "I'm not. I just didn't think—there's no way she's _that_ close to giving birth, right? I mean—."

Angela punched Hodgins in the arm and gave him a glare that made him almost choke on his tongue. "Don't finish that sentence, Jack."

Hodgins left his thought at that, not wanting to figure out what would happen if he continued.

Wendell nodded. "She looks ready to pop." He focused on his beer when Angela turned her glare on him.

* * *

Once outside, Brennan sat down and closed her eyes. She breathed in and out slowly, her right hand resting on her stomach. The cool air whipped against her flush cheeks and filled her lungs, the nausea subsiding slightly.

Booth burst out onto the sidewalk and looked around. Spotting Brennan on a bench a little ways down from the restaurant, he approached her and called her name, not wanting to startle her.

She turned her head at the sound of her name and blinked. "I'm okay," she said automatically when he sat down beside her.

He lifted his hand and brushed his finger along her cheek bone. "You don't look okay."

"I felt a bit nauseated due to the variety of food odors inside, but I'm okay now."

He nodded. "Do you need a minute?"

"Yes." She paused and motioned towards the door. "I don't think I can go back in there." She swallowed.

Thinking for a minute, he nodded. "Why don't we move this party back to the house?" He paused. "I'll tell them to finish their drinks. That'll give us some time to get home and put out snacks or something for everyone to eat."

She smiled. "Okay." After a bit of silence, she started laughing. "I forgot my coat."

He raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"My coat, I left it on my chair when I came outside."

He still looked like he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Angela mentioned that she didn't think she was the only one who figured out I was pregnant. If she was wrong and no one knew already, I have no doubt they know now."

He nodded. "Oh." He glanced down at her, noticing for the first time that she wasn't, in fact, wearing her coat. He squeezed her hand and leaned in, pressing his lips against hers in a barely there kiss. "I'll be right back." He stood up and left to head back into the restaurant.

* * *

As Booth expected, their friends all stared at him when he returned to the table. He grabbed Brennan's coat as well as his own and let out a breath. "There's been a change of plans," he announced, ignoring the looks. "Finish your drinks and meet us back at our house."

"Uh, dude?" Hodgins started.

Booth sighed. "Just pretend you don't know for thirty more minutes." He slipped on his jacket and set down some cash for his drink. "So see you guys soon?"

Five nods answered him.

"Great." Booth had made it to the door when Angela turned around and called to him. He paused with his hand on the doorknob and twisted around to face the artist. "Bones is fine, Angela," he said, seeing the question in her eyes.

Angela exhaled. "You need us to bring anything?"

"Just yourselves." With that, Booth opened the door and disappeared outside.

* * *

An hour later, everyone was sitting around in Booth and Brennan's living room. The conversation lulled and Booth knew they were all waiting for the formal announcement. He looked over at Brennan and could tell she was growing more exhausted by the minute. He caught her eye and she smiled at him, as if to say it was now or never. Exhaling, he nodded and cleared his throat. "Um, guys?" Within a few seconds, he had everyone's attention. "I don't think this really needs to be said, but—."

"I'm pregnant," Brennan cut in. Before anyone had the chance to congratulate them, she added, "with twins."

Cam blinked. "Twins?"

"Yes," Brennan answered.

"Holy crap." Aubrey shook his head.

Angela exhaled. "You have no idea how hard it was to keep that a secret."

Hodgins turned to his wife. "You knew?"

Angela shrugged. "For like six hours, so it doesn't count."

Wendell smiled. "Congrats, Dr. B." He looked over at Booth, who had his arm around Brennan's back. "Congrats."

Some more congratulations followed, as well as a couple of hugs and high fives. Cam asked Brennan about her maternity leave and Angela gave her suggestions for the nursery and made plans to drag her shopping sometime soon. While the women talked about more practical things concerning the pregnancy, Hodgins, Aubrey, and Wendell teased Booth and wished him luck jokingly. He had barely survived her last pregnancy, so joke or not, he knew he needed some luck this time around.

After another round of congratulations and Angela once again trying (and failing) to convince the couple to spill the beans on the sex of the babies when they found out the following week, everyone left.

* * *

Brennan was dozing on the couch while Booth cleaned up the living room and kitchen. When the leftover food was put away and the dishes and glasses were in the sink, he leaned over the back of the couch and nudged her. "Bones?"

Brennan groaned, pulling away from his touch and curling up, her hands tucked under the small throw pillow her head was resting on. "Go 'way."

"C'mon, Bones. It's bed time."

"Comfortable," she mumbled, shifting on the cushions and letting out a long sigh.

"I know, but you'll be even more comfortable in bed." He walked around the couch and stood between it and the coffee table. Bending his knees slightly, he slid his arms under her body and lifted her, cradling her close to his body.

"Booth! Put me down," she ordered, having been jarred awake by the sudden movement.

"No can do." He adjusted his grip and made his way towards the hallway.

"Put me down."

He just shook his head and carried her to their bedroom. "Stop squirming. I don't want to drop you."

"If you put me down, it will eliminate the risk of dropping me."

"You would like that, wouldn't you?"

She nodded. "Yes, I would. I have made that quite clear."

He smiled. "Too bad." He walked the remainder of the way to the bedroom and finally set her down when he reached the bed. "Happy?"

She glared up at him, lying flat on her back in the middle of the bed.

He jumped up onto the mattress and scooted over to her. He straddled her, kneeling over her, and leaned down, capturing her lips with his. He eventually lowered himself, straightening himself out and keeping himself up by his forearms. He smiled at her, his eyes sparkling. "I love you."

She blinked, unsure how to take his actions. "Booth?"

He kissed her again. "Shhh."

She tilted her head and looked up at him, her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

Telling their friends about the babies and receiving all their well wishes just reaffirmed how lucky he felt. Yes, Brennan was sure to drive him absolutely crazy for the remainder of her pregnancy and he knew once the twins were born, it wouldn't be easy, but he was just so damn happy. "I love you," he repeated.

She nodded. "And I love you." She paused. "Are you okay?"

"More than okay." He smiled wider.

She tried to conceal a yawn, but failed miserably.

He rolled off of her after giving her another kiss and lay beside her, his hand resting of her rounded belly, moving his thumb back and forth subconsciously, as he closed his eyes and sighed, a smile still on his face.

She turned onto her side, a more comfortable position for her, and slid as close to Booth as her growing stomach would allow. "You're happy," she concluded.

"Never been happier," he whispered.

"Am I being difficult?"

"Hmmm?"

"I overheard Aubrey wishing you luck and by the tone of his comment and your response, I do not believe either of you were being completely serious. He was making a comment about my hormonal state, wasn't he?"

He opened his eyes and cupped her cheek, looking her directly in her eyes. "He was joking, Bones. Two babies, twice the hormones, you know? It was a joke." He smiled. "He didn't mean anything by it."

She nodded. "I see." She sat up and slipped off the bed. "I'm going to get ready."

He grabbed her hand before she had a chance to escape. "Really, Bones, it was a joke. Bring on the raging hormones, I can take it." He winked.

"I take offense to that."

He smirked. "Joke."

She rolled her eyes and headed into the bathroom.

Oh, boy, he was in trouble. He may have just barely survived her first pregnancy, but he was going to need more than luck if he was going to make it through the next twenty or so weeks.


	15. Chapter 15

On Wednesday morning, Brennan, still dressed in her pajamas, headed down the hallway towards her daughter's bedroom and knocked softly on the door. "Christine? Honey? May I come in?" It was just after eight, so she knew the little girl would be awake. Usually, she'd come running into her parents' bedroom and demand they wake up, but that hadn't been the norm since the 'you're going to be a big sister' conversation days ago. The four year-old was still barely speaking to her parents, despite their efforts to change that. "Christine?" She pushed open the door a little more and stepped into the room. She found Christine sitting on her window seat, brushing her stuffed bunny's ears and staring outside. She approached slowly and sat opposite her daughter.

Christine turned her head and looked up. "Hi, Mommy."

Brennan smiled. A greeting, that was progress. "Daddy's making waffles."

Christine shrugged and went back to looking out the window.

Brennan sighed. "Daddy and I are thinking of going shopping later this morning. I have a doctor's appointment at 9:30 and we don't have to be at work until after one o'clock, so we thought today would be a good day to do that. Since you don't have school, we thought you'd like to come along." She rubbed the right side of her belly where one of the babies was kicking and waited for a response from Christine. At this point, she'd take anything.

"Grandpa said he'd take me to the park today."

Brennan nodded. "Yes, I realize that, but your daddy and I would really like it if you joined us today. I talked to your grandfather and he said he'd take you to the park later when we have to go to work."

"We'll be going to the bookstore, Christine," Booth cut in from the doorway.

Christine's eyes lit up. "Okay." Her response was neutral, but both Booth and Brennan could tell she was barely containing her excitement at the prospect of getting a new book, or two.

"The waffles are ready. Get 'em while they're hot." He motioned for the two of them to follow him to the kitchen as he turned around and headed that way himself.

* * *

Brennan shifted in her seat and tugged at the hem of her blouse, her eyes bouncing around the waiting room. Her gaze settled on Christine, who was sitting on her knees in the chair beside her, reading an issue of _Highlights _magazine that she found on one of the side tables.

"Mommy, when are we going to the bookstore?" Christine asked, closing her magazine and discarding it.

"Not for a little while, Sweetheart."

Christine sighed. "How long is that?"

"I don't have a specific time." Brennan paused. "The bookstore is the last stop on our list." She looked up when she caught movement by the reception window out of the corner of her eye.

A nurse appeared in the doorway, holding a folder she had just snatched from the rack to her left. After a glance at the name, she looked around the waiting room and called, "Temperance."

Brennan rose, holding out her hand for Christine to take.

Christine hesitated, but grabbed her mother's hand and slipped off the chair.

Booth waited for the two of them to pass by his chair before he stood up and followed them back to an exam room.

The nurse opened the door and walked into the room after the three of them. She shut the door and sat down at the computer in the corner. Setting down the folder, she typed in her credentials and pulled up Brennan's digital patient file. She smiled at Brennan, who was sitting in one of the chairs beside the desk, Booth in the second with Christine sitting on his lap. "Good morning. How are you doing today?"

Brennan shrugged. "I'm doing okay."

The nurse, Paula, nodded in acknowledgement and looked towards Booth. "You must be the father. How exciting." She paused and lowered her gaze to Christine. "And I bet you're the big sister."

Christine just continued to look around the room, staying silent.

Paula blinked and turned her focus back to Brennan.

"Oh." Brennan laughed, placing her hand on her stomach.

Booth's eyes widened in alarm. "What?"

"Bear has the hiccups."

Paula raised an eyebrow. "Bear?"

Brennan gave Booth a side glance and shook her head. "Rather than referring to the babies as it or Baby A and Baby B, my husband gave them both nicknames. Baby A is Blue and Baby B is Bear."

Paula's expression didn't change.

"We found out we were expecting twins when the babies were the size of blueberries," Brennan explained.

"Ah." Paula stood up and walked over to the scale. "Let's get started."

Brennan stood and crossed the room. She slipped out of her shoes and stepped onto the scale.

"You've gained 10.2 pounds since your last appointment." Paula paused. "That may seem like a lot, but remember you are carrying two babies and you actually lost some weight during your first trimester."

Brennan nodded and took her seat beside Booth again.

Paula motioned for Brennan to lay back on the examination table. She took her blood pressure, listened to her heart, and measured her belly. After updating Brennan's chart, she handed her an empty urine sample cup. "When you get back, we'll listen to the babies' heartbeats if you'd like. Dr. Tinkham is held up with another patient at the moment, so it'll be a little while before she'll be in to see you."

Brennan took the cup and left the room.

Paula took the opportunity to talk to Christine. She knelt down in front of the little girl and touched her knee. "Hi."

Christine looked down at Paula and leaned back against Booth's chest. "Hi."

"Are you excited to be a big sister?"

Christine shook her head. "I'm perfectly content with being a little sister," she answered.

Paula blinked, taken aback by Christine's response.

"She has an older brother," Booth supplied. "He lives in England with his mom."

"I see. Do you get to see him often?"

Christine shook her head. "No."

"That stinks." Paula paused. "But now you'll have two little siblings around all the time. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Christine shook her head. "No. I like things the way they are."

"And why's that?"

Before Christine could answer, Brennan reentered the room. She set the now filled urine analysis cup on the counter and hopped back onto the exam table.

Paula stood up and carried the Doppler device over to the table. She set the machine down and told Brennan to roll up her shirt and push her pants down a little. She squeezed some gel onto Brennan's stomach and got the device ready. Just before she pressed the transducer against Brennan's skin, she turned and looked at Christine. "Would you like to help?"

Christine tipped her chin up and stared at the nurse.

"C'mere."

Booth helped Christine down and the little girl walked over to Paula.

Paula pushed over a stool with her foot and set the device down beside Brennan on the bed, holding onto the probe.

Christine stood on the stool and looked down at her mother's belly and then back at Paula.

Paula grabbed Christine's hand and touched her fingers to the handle, instructing her to take hold of it. "Now put it down right here, in the gel."

Christine held onto the probe, but didn't move otherwise.

"It's okay."

Christine lowered the transducer until it was stuck in the dollop of gel Paula had squeezed out onto Brennan's abdomen.

Paula helped guide the device into the right position and turned up the volume with her free hand. Soon, the suctioning sound of a heartbeat echoed through the speakers.

Christine looked at Paula. "What's that?"

"That, little miss, is one of your little siblings' heartbeats."

Brennan blinked back tears and glanced at Booth, who was now standing by her head.

After a few seconds, Paula guided the transducer over to the other side and adjusted its position until another heartbeat filled the room.

"Is that another baby?"

Paula nodded. "Yep. Pretty cool, huh?" She looked at Brennan and smiled. "Both babies sound very healthy; they've got strong heartbeats." She let them listen for another half minute before she turned off the device and cleaned off Brennan's belly. "Dr. Tinkham should be in shortly."

Brennan nodded. "Thank you."

"No problem." Paula logged off the computer and left, shutting the door behind her.

Booth put his hand on Christine's shoulder and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her hair. "That was amazing."

"Daddy?"

Booth nodded. "Yeah, Princess?"

"Did you and Mommy listen to my heartbeat when I was in Mommy's uterus?"

Booth coughed. "Uh, yeah, Honey, we did, and it was just as amazingly perfect as it was listening to the twins' heartbeats today. It was incredible and special, just like you." He tapped her on the nose, causing her to giggle. He smiled, glad he was seeing a bit of his little girl again.

It was short lived, however. Christine jumped off the stool and went back over to the chairs against the wall by the desk. She sank down on the one closest to the sink and crossed her arms over her chest.

Brennan sighed, but decided to take her daughter's giggle as a good sign, even if she didn't believe in signs.

* * *

There was a knock on the door and then it opened. A middle-aged women in deep purple scrubs and a white lab coat walked in, her graying brown hair pulled into loose ponytail. "Good morning, Temperance. Sorry for the delay." She made her way to the computer and logged in. She pulled up Brennan's chart and skimmed it. "You've gained some weight since I saw you last. That's great," she said, turning around to face Brennan.

Brennan leaned back. "Some? I feel quite large."

Dr. Tinkham laughed. "I assure you, Temperance, everything is normal." She consulted the notes the nurse took earlier and nodded. "Everything looks good. Do you have any concerns or questions you want me to address before we check out the little ones?"

Brennan shook her head. "No. I am feeling good, actually."

"Glad to hear it." The doctor smiled and brought over the ultrasound machine. As she did so, she noticed Christine sitting in one of the chairs, something she had missed when she entered the room. "Hi there."

Christine looked up from the book she was reading. "Hi. Are you my mommy's doctor?"

Dr. Tinkham nodded. "Yes, I am. You must be Christine."

Christine nodded. "You've heard of me?"

"Oh, yes." The doctor paused. "Well, Christine, come over here and you can help me with the ultrasound. This machine is going to help me see the babies so that I can make sure they're doing okay in there."

Christine reluctantly came over and climbed up onto the stepstool she used to help Paula earlier. "Does it hurt?"

Dr. Tinkham shook her head. "Nope," she answered, handing her the transducer. "Can you hold that for me?" At Christine's nod, she started to prep Brennan for the procedure. Once the machine was up and running, she wrapped her hand around Christine's much smaller one and guided the probe into the glob of goop. She moved it down and slightly to one side, making small adjustments until the grainy image of Baby 'A', a.k.a Blue, appeared on the screen. The first thing they saw was the baby's little foot, followed by a profile shot, including a view of its hand. She pointed out the top of the head and a leg, as she tried to get the gender shot. At one point it looked like the baby was waving at them and in another instance, they got to see it swallow and stick out its tongue.

Booth blinked. "Did he just stick out his tongue?"

Dr. Tinkham nodded. "Yes, she did."

Booth's eyes widened. "She?"

Dr. Tinkham pointed to the screen. "There's some room for error here, but it's pretty clear that Baby 'A' is a girl."

Booth shook his head. _A girl? _

Brennan stared at the screen, a small smile on her face. A girl. They were having another girl. She and Booth talked about their preferences a few weeks ago and although she had told him she would be happy with either, she had been secretly hoping for at least one girl. She was comfortable with parenting a daughter. She could adapt if Baby 'B' turned out to be a boy; after all she had been inexperienced with Christine and everything turned out fine. She was still nervous, though. She also thought that perhaps Christine would be more willing to accept the pregnancy if she would be getting a little sister out of the deal. Brennan loved her big brother, but at one point, she had thought having a little sister would be nice.

Dr. Tinkham turned to her 'assistant'. "Can you see, Christine?" She stepped back, allowing Christine a better view of the screen. "That's your little sister. Neat, huh?"

Christine watched the baby move around. She seemed interested, but her expression was unreadable.

Dr. Tinkham deflated a little, realizing that this little girl wasn't as excited as she expected her to be at the news. Deciding not to dwell on it, she moved onto tracking down Baby 'B'. A few seconds passed and the second baby appeared on the screen. She got a good shot of the baby's profile as well as one of the baby sucking its thumb, but she was finding it difficult to pinpoint the sex, mostly because the baby wouldn't stop moving. "He's very active."

"He?" Booth questioned.

"Or she," Dr. Tinkham added.

"I have noticed that Bear has gotten increasingly more active, while Blue has calmed down significantly." Brennan swallowed. "Should I be—is that concerning?"

"Which is which again?"

"Blue is Baby A and Bear is Baby B."

Dr. Tinkham nodded. "Ah, yes, that's what I thought. To answer your question, Temperance, no. Baby A is healthy. Her heartbeat is strong, she's almost five and a half inches long and weighs just under seven ounces. Everything looks good and as you saw, she _is_ active. Baby B is a little bigger than his sister, which hadn't been the case last time I saw you, so it might just be that you can feel his movements more."

Brennan exhaled. "That makes me feel better, only slightly, however."

"I assure you both babies are doing great."

Christine surprised everyone by asking, "Are they going to look the same?"

"Are you asking if they're identical?"

Christine nodded.

Dr. Tinkham shook her head. "They're not identical, but that doesn't mean they still won't look the same. Does that answer your question?"

"My question was if they were going to look the same, so yes, that answers my question."

Dr. Tinkham smiled. "Good. Do you have any more? I'll do my best to answer them for you."

Christine thought for a second and then shook her head.

"Okay." Dr. Tinkham looked at Brennan. "From what I've seen, you're still looking at a September due date, Temperance. My goal is to get you to at least 36 weeks, so mid-August, but that will depend on these beautiful babies' development and your health as the pregnancy continues. At this point, however, there's nothing to be concerned about. Both babies are healthy and right on track, and there were no red flags during your physical exam."

Brennan nodded.

"Do you have any questions for me?"

Brennan shook her head. "No."

"Are you exercising?"

Brennan nodded. "Yes. It's been difficult with my schedule and the fact that I tire more easily due to the pregnancy, but I try to at least walk. I've started taking a longer lunch break and I use the extra time to walk around the gardens at the Jeffersonian. They're quite beautiful."

"That's good. And your diet?"

"I occasionally indulge in foods with high fat and sugar contents, but I am otherwise eating a well-balanced diet and have increased my daily caloric intake by about 600 calories to accommodate the two fetuses. I'm hungrier now that I am not nauseated constantly and Booth is and has always been concerned with my diet. He won't let me go more than four hours without eating something. He brings me food or drags me out somewhere if he thinks I haven't eaten for a while."

Dr. Tinkham smiled, appreciating the well-detailed response to her question. "Great." She walked to the door and paused with her hand on the knob. "I'll be right back." She left and returned a couple of minutes later. She handed them a plastic sleeve full of images of both babies as well as a CD with a video of the ultrasound. "If you have no more questions, you're free to go and I'll see you next month." She went over to Christine, who was once again sitting in a chair reading, and squatted down. "Hey."

Christine took her face out of the book and blinked, surprised to see the doctor so close to her. "Hi," she exhaled, "again."

Dr. Tinkham slid a single, square photograph onto the book, causing Christine's eyes to shift from hers to the picture. "This one's a special one."

Christine hesitated and then picked up the picture. "Why?"

"Because," Dr. Tinkham lowered her voice, "it's all yours. And it's a shot of both babies. See? That's your little sister," she pointed at Baby 'A' with her pinky, "and that's Baby 'B'. He's sucking his thumb in this picture."

Christine nodded.

Dr. Tinkham stood up. "It was nice to meet you, Christine."

"C'mon, Christine, we've got a busy morning ahead of us," Booth walked to her and held out his hand for her to take. "What do you have there?" he asked, noticing the picture she was staring at. He had been so focused on the six other pictures, he didn't even see Dr. Tinkham approach his daughter, much less see that she had been given something.

Christine shook her head and slipped the picture into her shirt pocket. "Nothing." She looked at Dr. Tinkham, who winked at her. "Are we going to the bookstore now?" she asked, leaving the book on the chair and grasping his two fingers.

Booth shook his head. "No, we need to get some things for the nursery and _then_ we're going to the bookstore."

Christine sighed. "Why?"

"Because we need your help, Honey, and if we go to the bookstore now, you'll be too focused on your new book." Booth squeezed her hand.

Christine nodded, even if she didn't like the fact that she had to wait to go to the bookstore.

The three of them left the examination room and headed to the waiting area. Booth took Christine out to the car while Brennan scheduled her next appointment.

As he waited for Brennan to come out of the doctor's office, Booth sat in the driver's seat, looking at his little girl though the rearview mirror. He sighed. He didn't know why Christine was acting this way, but he was determined to get to the bottom of it. He didn't want to get into it right now, but when he got home from work, he vowed to sit down with her and find out what was going on. He was happy that she at least seemed a little interested, going as far as helping Paula and Dr. Tinkham and asking questions. He was curious about the picture she had in her pocket, but would save that for later, as well. He hoped Bear was a boy because if he wasn't, God help him; he didn't think he'd survive a houseful of girls, especially if the twins were anything like their older sister and mother.


	16. Chapter 16

**_Sorry for the delay. Also, sorry for the shortness of this chapter; I wanted to give you guys something. The next chapter will (hopefully) be longer. Enjoy :)_**

* * *

Booth and Brennan had already been in the children's furniture store for close to an hour and only agreed on one thing for the twins' nursery thus far: narrowing their crib search down to the ones that were convertible. Lauren, the woman helping them, wisely stood back, out of their way, as they argued over crib styles and finishes.

Fifteen minutes later, they both seemed to agree on a crib that had a high, curved back and a pullout drawer for storage.

Lauren stepped closer to the pair, noticing that they had quieted down and were studying one of the cribs on display. "The applied moldings and solid wood make this crib one of our bestsellers. Plus, it's a four-in-one, which means it can be converted into a toddler bed, a daybed, and then finally a full-sized bed. If you're not crazy about the white finish, it also comes in oak, cherry, and espresso."

Booth nodded and reached out, flipping over the price tag. His eyes bugged out of his head and he gasped. He didn't remember Christine's crib being this expensive and the thought that he'd have to buy _two _of them, made his knees buckle a bit.

Seeing his reaction, Lauran explained that they had the opportunity to pay for their purchases in installments if paying the full amount in one go wasn't feasible.

Brennan shook her head. "That won't be necessary."

"Bones, this crib is almost a thousand dollars," he hissed. He turned away from her and looked at Lauran. "Do you, uh, have something similar to this, but maybe, um, a little cheaper?"

Brennan shook her head. "We'll take two of these, in white," she told Lauren before turning to face an irate Booth. "Yes, a thousand dollars is a bit _extravagant_, but money is no object and these cribs will coordinate well with Christine's old changing table. Besides, we've looked at everything here and while I like a few other cribs, as do you, I think we can both agree that this is the best option we've seen."

"Well, it should be!" He paused, sliding off to the side and taking Brennan with him. "Bones," he whispered, "we just bought a house, a very expensive house. I'm sure there is another crib we can agree on that won't make me go broke."

She crossed her arms over her chest, a sign she was not willing to compromise on this one.

He sighed. There was no way he was going to win this argument. "Fine. You win."

She smiled and marched back over to tell Lauren, who was standing with Christine, as the little girl ran her hand back and forth against the rungs of the crib.

"Do you need help with anything else?" Lauren asked.

Brennan nodded. "Christine's old changing table is still in relatively good condition and we are planning on using it for the twins; however, all of her other furniture is currently in use. We're in need of a dresser, as well as a few bookshelves, and possibly an armoire."

Lauren nodded. "So basically, you need everything?" She laughed. "The good news is that now that you have the cribs selected, you've got a color and style to look for when choosing the other furniture pieces for the room." She led them across the store and stopped in an area with a large selection of shelving units and desks. "Browse a little. If you have any questions, let me know." She left them alone and went to see if she could be of assistance to anyone else. She'd come check back in a few minutes.

* * *

Brennan scanned the choices in order to figure out exactly where they should start. She placed her hand on Christine's head, the little girl standing close to her, and ran her fingers through her blonde hair.

Christine glanced up at her. "Mommy?"

Brennan smiled. "Yes, Honey?"

"Why do the babies need bookshelves? They don't have any books."

"That's not entirely true, Christine. Your baby book collection is quite extensive and will fill up at least three of these shelves. Besides, we're going to the bookstore later."

"But those are _my _books."

"Yes, but you've out grown those books, Sweetheart; you have no need for them anymore."

Christine huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I want to go to the bookstore now."

"We're not going there now, Christine; we've already discussed this multiple times." Brennan paused. "Now, let's start here."

Booth snuck up behind them and hoisted Christine up onto his shoulders.

Christine squealed and kicked her legs. "Daddy, put me down!"

Booth held onto Christine's ankles as he followed Brennan.

* * *

They spent the next hour in the store, picking out the rest of the furniture for the nursery. Even though there were still some small disagreements, shopping for everything else was much easier than agreeing on the cribs, as Lauren had correctly predicted. Neither of them had expected that one trip to be so successful, but they were both glad they could check one more thing off their to-do list, which seemed to be growing as rapidly as Brennan's belly was. They still needed to decide on how they were going to decorate the room, color wise, which needed to be finalized before they went shopping for bedding and other accessories. That would be saved for another day.

Next on their agenda was the toy store and then the highly anticipated bookstore.


	17. Chapter 17

When they entered the store, Booth wanted to go straight to the toys, but Brennan insisted they take care of the more practical things on the list first, such as swings, strollers, playmats, and car seats before they lost themselves in the land of stuffed animals, puzzles, and multicolored-blinking-noise-making contraptions. As was usually the case, she got her way. At Booth's grumble, she stopped mid-stride and looked back at him. "If we cross these items off our list now, then we'll have more time to spend in the toy section." She paused. "Theoretically, of course, as the amount of time allotted for toy shopping depends on how long it takes us to agree on everything else on our list."

Booth pouted.

"You're acting like a child, Booth." Brennan turned and continued walking.

"Hey, Christine," he whispered to the little girl, who was sitting in the front of the cart he was pushing. "Do you think Mom would notice if we took a detour through the stuffed animals?" He winked.

Christine glanced at her mother's back and then up at her father. "Mommy notices _everything_, Daddy."

He shrugged. "What if we're really quiet? We could hang back a little, get some distance between us, and then slip away. We'll be quick."

"I don't think so."

"I—."

"You do realize I can hear everything you're saying, don't you?" Brennan said, cutting him off.

Christine grinned. "I told you, Daddy."

Booth shook his head and sped up to catch up to Brennan. "Fine. What are we looking for again?" He nearly ran into her when she stopped in the middle of the aisle. "Geez, Bones."

"Car seats," Brennan answered, taking a sharp left and disappearing down an aisle.

Booth steered the cart and followed close behind her as she looked at the selection of car seats and compared all the models. "You've got this, right, Bones?"

Brennan tilted her head, her eyes narrowing. "I appreciate your input, Booth."

He sighed. "Fine." He paused and followed her up and down the aisle. As he read the product descriptions and looked closely at each option, he couldn't help but think how much car seats had changed in just five short years. "I like this one, but you're probably going to find something wrong with it, like the headrest isn't proportionate to an infant's head."

Brennan read the description quickly and looked at him. "The headrest is adjustable, Booth."

"Right." He paused. "So what do you think about this one?"

"Hmmm."

"Hmmm?"

"I like it." Brennan reread the description more carefully. "I would like to take another look around first before we make a final decision, but I like this one."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Well, that was easy." He paused. "What's next?"

"Strollers," Brennan answered as she looked over the car seats again, after all a decision like which car seat to purchase couldn't be made lightly. Ten minutes later, the process repeated again, this time with the strollers.

* * *

By the time they made it to the toy section of the store, Booth was exhausted. "That took longer than I thought," Brennan said, glancing at her watch.

Booth rolled his shoulders, cracking his back in the process. Exhaling exaggeratingly, he leaned over and rested his weight against the handle of the stroller. "It's your fault it took us so long."

Brennan gasped. "My fault?"

"It was your idea to do all of this _today, _as if we really needed to check every single thing off our list in one day. Besides, if you didn't take so long deciding between a single or double stroller, we would have been done ages ago."

"I like to be thorough."

He laughed. "Yeah, I know. Believe me, I know. God forbid we buy the wrong play mat for the babies. It might stunt their intellectual and physical development or give them unreasonably idealistic aspirations that are impossible to achieve or whatever."

"There is no such thing as an impossibility, Booth."

He rolled his eyes and spun the cart around, pushing it towards the stuffed animals. The whole point of this shopping trip, for him, at least, was to have Christine pick out something for the babies, a special gift from her to them.

Considering their argument over (for the time being, anyway), Brennan caught up to Booth and decided to look around a little while he and Christine went to look at the plush toys.

Booth pushed the cart out and then pulled it in quickly, eliciting a giggle from his four year-old.

"Daddy!"

He jumped at Christine's urgency and excitement. "What is it, Christine?" he asked, steering the cart over to a large bin filled to the top with stuffed animals.

"It's the skeleton puzzle I saw on TV. It's as big as an average person and it's got the names of all the bones on the back of each piece. I want it. Mommy said I could get it, but she said I'd learn more from a real skeleton. She said she'd take me to the lab after hours and let me look at a real one."

"Did she now?" He glanced at his wife and shook his head. _Of course she did. And there is no way __**that **__is happening. _"I think Mommy was just kidding, Christine."

Christine shook her head. "Nu-uh. She was telling the truth. She promised and everything."

"Pinky promise?"

"It's not a real promise unless it's a pinky promise, Daddy. Parker said so and he knows everything!"

Booth smiled. "Right, how could I forget?"

"So can I get it?"

"Huh?"

Christine sighed. "The puzzle, Daddy!"

"Oh, yeah, uh, we'll ask your mom in a few minutes. Right, now, I need your help with something." He lifted her out of the cart and balanced her on his hip. He stepped up to the giant bin and picked up a fuzzy white teddy bear with pink feet. He handed it to Christine, who gave it a squeeze and brushed her hand against its fur.

"I already have a teddy bear, Daddy, and it looks just like this one. I don't need another one."

"I know that, honey; it was a preset from Parker." He paused. "You love this bear, don't you?"

"Not as much as my bunny," she told him.

"Do you know who gave you that bunny?"

"You and Mommy?"

He shook his head. "Parker gave it to you. He bought it himself and refused to mail it. He wanted to give it to you himself and he did, a few months after your second birthday." He paused and got to the point he was trying to make with all this. "I want you to pick out something special for the babies."

"I know the perfect thing!"

He put her down, happy that she seemed so excited about giving the twins a present. His smile disappeared as he watched her run off and grab the skeleton puzzle box. He met her halfway and took the box out of her hands. "Uh, Honey, the babies won't be able to play with this for a while."

"That's okay. I'll play with it until they're big enough. I don't mind."

He blinked and put the toy back on the shelf. "C'mon, Christine, let's see what kind of stuffed animals they have. I bet they have some cool stuff in there."

Christine went to grab the box again, but Booth stopped her by scooping her up. "But Daddy!" Her eyes welled with tears and her chin began to quiver. "It's not fair! Mommy said I could get the puzzle. Why do I have to get the babies anything? They have too much stuff already." She crossed her arms over her chest as she was lowered into the seat in the front of the cart again.

He glanced around quickly and noticed a few other shoppers looking at them, including Brennan, who looked concerned. He held up his hand and turned his focus to Christine, pushing her a little ways so they'd have a little more privacy. He leaned in close and uncrossed her arms, taking her little hands in his much bigger ones. "Princess, what's the matter?"

Christine shook her head, refusing to answer him.

He let go of her left hand and brushed his thumb across her cheeks, wiping away the tears as they dripped through her lashes. He stepped back and lifted her out of the cart altogether, carrying her out of the store. He sat down on a bench just outside the exit and settled her on his lap, his arm encircling her trembling body. "C'mon, Angel, what's wrong? I thought you'd be excited about being a big sister. You love when we go visit Daisy and your baby cousin. I bet you'd have no problems getting him a stuffed animal, right?" He sighed when he continued to get silence from the four year-old.

Brennan walked out of the store and walked over to him. "Booth?"

He tilted his head and flashed her a faint smile. "I've got this, Bones. I guess we're done for today."

Brennan nodded, squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, and headed into the store to pay.

Booth shifted on the bench and pulled Christine closer to his chest. "Christine, can you look at me?" The little girl didn't budge. "Christine," he started, his voice a little more forceful.

Getting the message, Christine turned her head slowly towards him and looked at his face.

He swiped a palm across her tear-stained cheeks and kissed her forehead. "Are you ready to tell me what's wrong?"

Christine shook her head.

"Well, you're going to, so start talking, little lady." He paused. "This isn't like you."

"I don't want things to change," she finally said.

"Change? What are you talking about?"

"You and Mommy don't talk about anything but the babies and you're giving them my toys and books and my room. You're gonna make me sleep in the laundry room and soon you're gonna forget I even exist."

"Wait, what? Who told you that?"

"Parker."

"Well, I'm gonna have to have a long talk with Parker because that's not true. You're not going to have to sleep in the laundry room, Christine, and there's no way your Mom and I could ever forget you." He paused. "You're a big girl now, you don't need those baby toys and books. Don't you want the twins to get to play with all the awesome stuff you used to play with?"

She shrugged.

"Besides, we gave Aunt Daisy most of your old toys because your mom and I didn't expect to have another baby at the time. They were just taking up space and we thought your baby cousin needed that stuff more than we did."

After several minutes of silence, Christine swallowed and asked, "Are you gonna die?"

He blinked. "What?"

"Uncle Sweets died when Aunt Daisy was gonna have a baby. Are you gonna die too?"

His eyes widened. "No! Uncle Sweets, he didn't, it wasn't because—no, I'm not going to die," he choked out.

Brennan chose that moment to emerge from the store, pushing the cart full of their purchases. Taking one look at their faces, she knew all wasn't right. "Booth?" she questioned.

"Just give us a minute, Bones."

Brennan nodded. "I'll just load up the trunk and wait in the car." She began to walk away, but Booth stopped her.

"Just wait here. You shouldn't be lifting stuff."

Brennan rolled her eyes. "I'm fine and more than capable of moving a few items from the cart to the trunk, Booth." She paused. "But if it will make you feel better, I will leave the strollers for you." With that, she headed to the SUV.

Booth immediately turned to Christine, who was still sitting in his lap and picking at the buttons on her jacket. He bumped up her chin with his thumb, so she was looking at him, and smiled sadly. "I am _not _going to die, Christine, okay? And your brother is just teasing you."

"So you're not kicking me out?"

"Make that a _very _long talk with Parker," he muttered. "No one is kicking anyone out." They sat on the bench, in silence, for a few more minutes, before he shifted and said, "Okay, let's go help mom and get out of here." _We'll tackle the special gift another day_, he said to himself.

"Are we going to the bookstore now," Christine asked, grabbing his hand as they began walking towards the SUV.

"I think we'll grab a quick lunch first."

She nodded. "I'm hungry, Daddy."

"Yeah, me too." They reached the car and he wasn't surprised to see that everything was already packed in the trunk and Brennan was waiting in the driver's seat. He shook his head and got Christine settled in her booster seat. He opened the passenger side door and leaned against it.

Brennan smirked. "Are you going to get in?"

"Bones."

"Yes?"

He jumped in and shut the door. "You can drive to the diner, but I'm driving to the bookstore, got it?"

"We'll see about that," Brennan answered. "Is everything okay?"

He nodded. "It will be, I hope."

She reached over and placed her hand on his forearm.

He smiled at her and then looked into the backseat at Christine, who was staring out the window. "Let's go eat," he said, returning his focus to Brennan. "I bet you're hungry."

She nodded. "Actually, I am." She left the parking lot and headed to the diner. She'd talk to Booth later and find out exactly what he and Christine talked about earlier because she knew he was reluctant to fully disclose that information now with Christine within hearing distance.


	18. Chapter 18

**_Has it really been over a month since I've updated this story? I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post this chapter. I just haven't been in much of a writing mood lately. I can't make any promises on when the next chapter will be up, but I hope it'll be sooner rather than later..._**

**_Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter._**

* * *

Later that day, an hour or so before dinner, Booth was sitting on the couch, his legs stretched out in front of him, his feet propped up on the coffee table. He shifted, careful not to disturb Brennan, who was lying beside him, asleep, her legs in his lap, and flipped his cell in his hand. As he began to gently rub Brennan's feet, almost absently, he let out a breath and dialed. When the call went unanswered, he hung up, not bothering to leave a voicemail message. He quickly dialed another number and waited.

A short time later, the ringing cut out and a woman answered. _"Seeley, it's late."_

"It's only," he glanced at his watch, pausing for a second to mentally convert the time, "ten o'clock."

_"Did you have a reason for calling besides informing me of what time it is here?"_

He nodded. "Um, right. I need to talk to Parker. It's important."

_"He has a cell phone."_

"I know that, Rebecca. You think I didn't try his number first? He didn't answer." He paused. "I don't have time for this. Can you just get him? I really need to talk to him."

_"Hold on." _

He heard her as she moved about the house, trying to locate their son.

After a short exchange between Rebecca and Parker, for which Booth could only hear muffled sounds, Parker greeted him. _"Hey, Dad, what's up? Mom said you needed to talk to me."_

"I do. You have a minute?"

_"Uh, yeah. One sec." _

Booth heard a drawer open and the rustling of fabric before the drawer shut again and the bedsprings creaked.

_"Okay, shoot."_

Booth nodded. "Did you tell Christine that she'd have to sleep in the laundry room when the babies are born?" he asked, getting right to the point of the phone call.

There was long pause and then Parker finally answered, _"I'm guessing you already know I did or you wouldn't be asking."_

"Bingo." Booth paused. "Start talking NOW."

Parker sighed. _"Christine has a big mouth," _he muttered. _"It was months ago. Bones wasn't even pregnant. Christine was staying with Max because I think you guys had to work late or something. We were FaceTiming and the subject came up. Christine was curious about what it'd be like to be a big sister. I told her I wasn't sure because I moved here before she was born, so what it's like being a big brother for me wouldn't be the same as being a big sister would be for her since she lives with you guys. I did tell her I liked being her big brother, though. She asked why I lived so far away and only visited a few times a year if I liked being her big brother so much. She didn't let me answer that before she asked if she was the reason I don't live with you and Bones."_

Booth bit his lip to keep from interrupting him; he wanted to hear the whole story first.

_"I was joking when I told her you guys having a baby was part of the reason I had to move. There just wouldn't be enough room for me and you and Bones would be too focused on the baby to really pay attention to me. I was old enough to take care of myself; I didn't need you for everything little thing like the baby would. She asked if that would happen to her and I wasn't really thinking when I told her you guys were planning on making her sleep in the laundry room and that because the baby would be all you guys could think and talk about, sometimes you'd forget to pack her lunch or pick up her up from school."_

Booth blinked. "Is that what you think? That we chose Christine over you?" He whispered.

_"No. I mean, maybe?"_

"You know I didn't want you to move. I don't like only seeing you a few times a year."

_"I know, Dad. It was just a coincidence that Bones got pregnant right before Mom got that new job. Christine didn't and couldn't ever replace me." _Parker paused. _"Look, I'm sorry I said all that stuff. I'll tell her I made it all up if you want me to. I was only teasing her."_

"Well, she doesn't know you were teasing her. She's now convinced being a big sister is the worst thing in the world, so she wants nothing to do with the babies." Booth sighed. "Why would you say those things? She believes everything you tell her; she looks up to you. I never thought I'd have to have _this_ talk with you, Parker."

_"Sorry."_

"You really upset her, Parker."

_"I didn't think she'd believe me."_

"Why do you think she was asking all those questions then? She obviously believed you." Booth's voice was raised, but not too much. He wanted to show Parker he was upset with him, but he didn't want to wake Brennan up. "Can you put your mom back on?"

_"Are you mad at me?"_

"Yeah, Parker, I am. I didn't think I'd have to worry about this with you."

Parker sighed.

"I love you, but you messed up big time. Kidding or not, you shouldn't have said those things to Christine."

_"I know. I'm sorry."_

"You should be." Booth sighed. "And you should be apologizing to your sister, too. Let me talk to your mom again."

_"Are you going to make her ground me? Because there's this—."_

"Parker."

_"Right." _Parker paused. _"MOM!"_

Booth pulled the phone away from his ear; he should have seen that coming.

_"Is everything okay, Seeley?" _Rebecca asked when she took the phone from Parker.

Booth shook his head. "Parker said some things to Christine and she got the wrong idea. I've dealt with it the best I can, but I'm not there, so I can't take away his phone or keep him from going out with his friends. What you do about the situation is your call, but I just thought you should know what was going on," he said before proceeding to tell her exactly what was said.

_"He apologized, I hope."_

"Yeah, he did, and I believe he's sorry. He can explain things to Christine next time they FaceTime because I know you guys are getting ready to go to bed and I've got to start dinner soon." He was about to hang up when Rebecca didn't say anything for a while, but then he heard her sigh.

_"He asked."_

Booth raised an eyebrow. "Who asked what?"

_"Parker. When I told him about the job and that we had to move, he asked if it was because Dr. Brennan was pregnant."_

Booth blinked. "And you thought I didn't need to know that my son thought he was being replaced?"

_"I don't think he ever thought that, Seeley." _Rebecca paused. _"I always believed he asked because he thought I was upset about you and Dr. Brennan expecting a child together, given our history, and that's why we were moving away. He dropped the subject after I told him it had nothing to do with you or Dr. Brennan and everything to do with my promotion, so I never bothered clarifying his reason for asking. I totally forgot about it until just now when you brought this up."_

"I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

_"It wasn't important."_

"Wasn't important? Are you kidding me, Rebecca? Of course it was important!"

_"Calm down, Seeley."_

He glanced to his left and noticed that Brennan was now awake and staring at him concerned. He sighed and rubbed her right foot, reassuring her everything was okay. "Tell Parker goodnight for me unless of course you don't think it's important for him to know I said that," he spat.

_"Seriously?"_

He dropped his shoulders as he let out a calming breath. "Goodnight," he muttered and hung up before either of them could say something else they'd both regret later. He let the phone fall into his lap and leaned back, running his hand down his face. He felt Brennan shift positions until she was sitting beside him, so close their shoulders and legs were touching. He cracked open his eyes and tilted his head. "Everything's fine."

Brennan tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "You say that, but your tone and facial expression suggest you're not telling me the truth. What's wrong?"

He shook his head; she had gotten way too good at that—being able to tell he was lying based solely on body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice.

"Does this have anything to do with the talk you had with Christine earlier at the store?"

"Yeah." He was about to tell her what Christine told him earlier and about his conversations with Parker and Rebecca, but was interrupted by a little voice.

"Mommy? Daddy? I'm hungry." Christine padded over to the couch and climbed up into Booth's lap, tilting her head so she could look at him.

Booth brushed some of her hair out of her face and smiled. "Me too." He glanced at Brennan and mouthed, 'I'll tell you later'. He then tapped Christine on the tip of her nose and pulled at her shirt. "What do you want? You can have anything you want."

"Ice cream!" Christine giggled.

"Ice cream for dinner, homemade pizza for dessert?" He suggested.

Christine gave an exaggerated nod.

He stood, lifting Christine up with him. "What do you want on your pizza, Bones?" he asked her as he made his way into the kitchen. He sat Christine on the counter and checked the refrigerator and pantry for the ingredients they'd need for their pizzas.

Brennan would have objected to his choice for dinner (and dessert), but homemade pizzas sounded delicious, as did a hot fudge ice cream sundae. "Pineapple and broccoli white cheese pizza with barbecue sauce." She pushed herself off the couch, a task that was starting to become quite difficult, and headed down the hall to freshen up for dinner.

* * *

Deciding to momentarily forget about his talk with his son and subsequent conversation with his ex, Booth busied himself with the task of making the personal pizzas.

Christine seemed to be in better spirits, especially after the trip to the bookstore, and was eager to help.

Brennan returned from the bathroom to find the kitchen (as well as her husband and daughter) a mess. Both Booth and Christine had flour in their hair, the little girl had tomato sauce on her nose and some smeared on her cheek, and Booth's shirt was covered in the red goop. She came to the conclusion they had yet to start preparing her pizza because neither their faces nor clothing showed evidence of barbecue sauce.

She walked into the kitchen and worked around them, throwing together a salad and setting the table set. As she put down the final glass, she turned to watch Booth and Christine. He was now singing a silly song about pizza and dancing around as he grated some mozzarella cheese and Christine was bobbing her head and kicking her legs, laughing at him.

Brennan smiled. For the first time since telling Christine about the pregnancy, Brennan actually believed things would be okay. They might not be right now, but eventually they would be. She rested her hand on her belly and a small smile appeared on her face; it appeared Blue inherited her father's dancing "talent". Brennan knew she couldn't classify the baby's movements as dancing, but it didn't stop her from thinking how coincidental Blue's sudden surge in movement were and how similar her kicking and tumbling was to the scene in front of her. She even joked to herself that if she were to have an ultrasound right now, it would show Blue bobbing her head just like her big sister. She'd have to put those thoughts away for later; she imagined Booth would find them quite amusing.


	19. Chapter 19

Brennan found herself in Modular Bone Storage on a Saturday, a rare occurrence these days. Normally, at least recently, weekends were reserved for family, unless of course a case or some other work-related pressing matter popped up. Neither of those things were true on this particular Saturday, but Brennan was still at the lab, working her way through Limbo.

Surprisingly, Booth was the reason she was working today; he had kicked her out of the house. Apparently, he and Christine were working on the nursery this afternoon as one of their recently established monthly "daddy-daughter" activities. Ever since the incident at the toy store a few weeks ago, Booth had decided that once a month, he'd put aside a few hours, or more depending on the activity, to spend with Christine, just the two of them, doing whatever. The still unfinished nursery gave him the perfect opportunity to start the new tradition since he didn't want Brennan to have any part in the physical aspect of setting the room up. It wasn't safe for her to be around all those paint fumes. Plus, he figured if there was furniture to be built, shelves to secure, or pictures to hang up, she'd want to help and all he could think about was everything that could go wrong with her wielding a hammer, a drill, or any power tool for that matter. She didn't agree with him, not fully, but conceded (not before she gave him an earful, though).

She arched her back and rolled her shoulders, trying to relieve some of the tension that had built up over the course of the last two and a half hours. Her lower back was aching terribly, plus her feet hurt and her shoes were beginning to get tighter, both signs her feet and ankles were swelling. She set down the victim's right femur and walked over to the chair near the small table she set up before she started on the Civil War soldier currently laid out for examination. She dropped down onto the chair with a huff and grabbed her half full bottle of water. Unscrewing the cap, she downed the rest of the cool beverage and put the bottle down again. She leaned back and closed her eyes, letting out a breath.

As she rested, she wondered how Booth was doing. She wasn't worried about him setting up the nursery by himself; she trusted him and they had talked extensively about how they wanted to decorate the room when the furniture arrived a couple of days ago. Though it took a while to finally decide on the wall color, how they wanted to arrange the furniture, the bedding, and window coverings, they both finally came to a consensus on everything.

She was anxious to see it. She shrugged her shoulders and then pressed her fingers into her lower back muscles and began to massage the area, starting off with a light touch and gradually adding pressure. "Ah," she exhaled, the pain slowly easing. Deciding she had given Booth adequate time to finish the nursery or at least get a good chunk of the project completed, she pushed herself up, bracing herself on the wall to steady herself. She packed away the skeleton and tidied up her workspace. After flicking off the light and locking the door behind her, she made a quick stop off at the restroom and then went into her office to grab her bag and lock up before heading for the exit. She nodded at the security guard who smiled at her and waved.

"Have a nice day, Dr. Brennan."

She waved back and disappeared through the automatic doors. She was looking forward to going home and spending the rest of the day with Booth and Christine. Perhaps it would be a good time to begin thinking about names. She had just over four months to go until her due date, which meant she was more than halfway through this pregnancy. The babies were likely to come early; however, so that gave them even less time before their arrival, and there was still so much to do.

* * *

Brennan walked through the front door and set her bag down, dropping her keys into the bowl on the small table. "Booth?" she called as she made her way down the hallway. "I'm home." She stopped in front of the nursery door and went to reach for the knob when she was startled by a voice behind her.

"Daddy said you can't go in there, Mommy."

Brennan turned around and looked down at Christine, who had her hands on her hips with her head tilted up and slightly to the side. "Where is your Daddy?"

"In the shower. He got paint all over." Christine giggled. "He looked like a Smurf!"

Brennan squinted at her daughter, noticing her wet hair and the graphic cat t-shirt and light pink leggings, an outfit that was quite different from the one she was wearing when Brennan left the house earlier. "Did _you _have anything to do with Daddy looking like a Smurf?"

Christine shrugged her shoulders, looking down at her socked feet. "He rolled paint on my cheek. It was all slimy." She grabbed Brennan's hand and dragged her away from the nursery door. "Daddy made me pinky promise, so I can't let you in there until the walls dry and it's not stinky anymore."

Brennan huffed. "It won't hurt to just take a peek." She reached for the door knob, but Christine shook her head.

"No, Mommy. No peeking." Christine grabbed Brennan's hand again. "I want cookies. Do we have cookies?"

Brennan nodded. "I believe we do. Why don't you go into the kitchen and I'll meet you there. I just have to drop my things off in my bedroom."

Christine's gaze shifted from her mother to the nursery door and then back again. "If I leave, you're going to peek."

Brennan smiled. Was she really that obvious? "I promise I won't peek."

"Pinky promise?"

Brennan nodded, holding out her pinky for Christine. "Pinky promise." She was still uncertain about what made a pinky promise superior to all others, but she played along. "I'll meet you in the kitchen."

Christine turned and started walking towards the kitchen, only to turn back after a few steps. "No peeking!"

Brennan held up her hands. "I won't look." To prove it, she headed towards the master bedroom.

Satisfied, Christine turned and ran into the kitchen in search of cookies.

Brennan shook her head and continued to her bedroom.

* * *

Booth was just stepping out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist when Brennan entered the bedroom.

Brennan stopped, catching his movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head and openly took in his naked upper body. She followed a droplet of water as it traveled down towards the edge of the towel, its path disrupted by his well-developed chest and abdominal muscles.

Seeing her glazed-over look, Booth slowly slipped his thumb under the towel and pushed the corner out from its tucked position, effectively loosening the towel's grip. He felt the cool air as the towel slid down to his ankles and smirked, seeing the change in her expression the moment she realized he was no longer covered.

Her eyes widened slightly, her pupils dilating, as she took him in in all his naked glory. She shrugged off her messenger bag and walked forward, meeting him halfway between the bathroom and the bed. In an instant, she was reaching up, one hand resting on his bare shoulder, the other cupping the nape of his neck. She tilted her head upwards, while he glanced down at her, their eyes locked.

He cleared his throat and smiled softly at her. "Hi," he whispered. "You're home."

"Yes," she swallowed, her tongue darting out and wetting her bottom lip, "I'm home."

He snaked his arms around her, trapping her bulging belly between them. He felt her shift and then still again and his eyes traveled to her mouth when her tongue once again slid out and moistened her lip. Unable to fight the urge any longer, he dropped his head and caught her lips between his. Without breaking contact, he backed her up until her legs were pressed against the side of the bed.

She shifted again, her feet beginning to feel a bit numb, and winced, suddenly pulling away and gasping for air.

He blinked, not sure what was going on. "Bones? You okay?" His eyes bulged out of his head as one particularly scary thought ran through his head. "Are you in labor?" He stepped back and started pacing. "It's too early. They're too little. No, this can't be happening." He shook his head. "I'll call Max and see if he can watch Christine." Rubbing his hands together, he started moving towards the door. "We don't even have a hospital bag packed!" Dropping plans to call Max for the time being, he ran over to the closet and got a duffle bag from the top shelf. He threw it on the bed, unzipped it, and returned to the closet, frantically pulling random clothes off hangers, not even looking at what he was grabbing and momentarily forgetting the fact that he was naked.

Brennan smiled. "Booth," she called, but he was too busy to hear her. "Booth!"

He stopped and turned to face her.

"I'm not in labor."

He blinked. "You're not?"

She shook her head. "No."

He looked down at the mess he had made and sighed. "Then what's wrong?"

"I am suffering from edema in my lower extremities."

He stared at her.

"My feet and ankles are swollen and it's quite painful," she explained and glanced at the suitcase and now wrinkled clothing.

"Uh, I'll clean that up." He leaned over and brushed his lips against hers. He stepped back and proceeded to put the clothes back on their hangers and then back in the closet. He left the duffle bag, but moved it to the chair, so he'd remember to pack it sooner rather than later. He got dressed, choosing to go with his favorite plaid pajama bottoms (despite it being late afternoon), and climbed into bed beside Brennan, who had her eyes closed and was stretched out with her back propped up on a stack of pillows; she looked completely worn out. He leaned over and gave her a feather-light kiss on her temple, the sensation causing her to open her eyes.

She turned her head and blinked to focus on him. "Hmmm?"

He smiled. He didn't say anything, just took her hand and began to knead his fingers into her skin, starting with the tips of her fingers and working his way up her arm.

By the time he reached her back and shoulders, she was asleep.

The bedroom door opened and Christine came in, carrying a box of cookies. "I found the cook—," she stopped talking when she caught sight of her father pressing his finger to his lips. She glanced at her mother and then back to him. "Daddy, why is Mommy sleeping?"

"Because your Mom is tired. Carrying two babies is hard work and she needs rest, lots of it, but she doesn't get much of it at night; the babies are keeping her awake."

Christine shrugged. "What are you doing to her?"

He smiled. "I'm giving her a massage. The twins are heavy and they're making Mommy hurt. I'm trying to make her feel better."

Christine scowled. "That's not nice of them." She paused. "Is Mommy going to wake up soon? We were going to eat cookies." She held up the box to show Booth.

He shrugged. "I hope she sleeps for a little while, but I'll be happy to eat some cookies with you. We can see what movies are available on the T.V. How about that? Does that sound good to you?"

Christine nodded. "Yay!"

"Shhh."

"Sorry, Daddy."

He nodded. "Just give me a few minutes. I'm almost done."

Christine smiled and turned, leaving the room.

Booth finished his massage, carefully nudging Brennan onto her side to do her back. He took extra time on her back and lower body, knowing those areas were bothering her the most. Hopefully, she'd wake up in less pain and be ready to enjoy the rest of the day.

* * *

Booth slipped off the bed without disturbing Brennan and headed into the living room, finding Christine dancing around to a song playing through the speakers, her stuffed bunny in her arms, acting as her dance partner.

He smiled and joined her. Without a word, he scooped her up and slowly lowered her until her feet were on his. He glanced toward the hallway, sure his daughter's giggles would have woken Brennan from her nap. When his wife didn't appear as he expected, he exhaled and began to shuffle around the living room with Christine still balanced on his feet, her little arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

* * *

**I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter up. I have already started working on Chapter 20, so hopefully there won't be such a large gap between this and the next update. **

**I hope you liked this chapter and t****hanks for reading/reviewing.**


	20. Chapter 20

_**So a few things...**_

_**I know it's been FOREVER (Sorry about that), but I'm back. This chapter's been more than halfway written for a while, so I finally sat down and finished it. I was having a hard time getting into the mood to continue with the story, which is partly why it's taken so long for me to update, but I've already started writing/planning the next chapter and I'm kind of excited about it. My goal is to have it up by this weekend some time. **_

_**Anyway, I hope you like this chapter :)**_

* * *

At a quarter after four, Brennan woke up from a nearly sleepless night, a frequent occurrence now that she was in her third trimester. She slipped out of bed quietly, as to not wake up Booth, who had no problems falling and staying asleep, a fact she was now resenting him for. She walked into the bathroom and shut the door with a soft click before switching on the light. She took care of the pressure the twins were putting on her bladder and as she stood at the sink, mindlessly washing her hands, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked as exhausted as she felt, the dark bags under her eyes glaringly obvious. She let out a breath and dried her hands.

She braced herself on the counter when one of the babies kicked her hard in the ribs. "Bear, easy." She rubbed her side in attempt to calm the baby. Her touch, however, caused the opposite to occur; it seemed to have spurred more movement from Baby B. "Baby boy," she whispered, smiling at the way the gender pronoun rolled off her tongue; it was the first time she had said it since finding out Bear was a boy a week ago.

She left the bathroom and headed back into the bedroom, glancing at a still sleeping Booth before she disappeared down the hallway towards what had become her favorite place in the house over the past month: the nursery. No matter what mood she was in, the minute she stepped into the room, with its pale aqua painted walls, pure white furniture, and grey accents, she felt better. She'd sit in the glider in the corner, prop her feet on the accompanying ottoman, close her eyes, and breathe in and out. Sometimes she'd think about Booth or Christine or even work, but usually it was thoughts of the twins that consumed her.

She took her seat in the glider and looked around. The room was ready; all it was missing were two tiny human beings to occupy the two cribs set up against the far left wall and the set of painted letters (one white, one grey) they planned to hang above each baby's crib once their names were picked out. They were pretty much in agreement on Bear's name, despite only recently finding out his sex, but Blue's was proving to be more difficult. Picking out girls' names wasn't problematic, each having a list of five or more, it was the narrowing down and agreeing on one that was the hard part.

She leaned back and closed her eyes, folding her arms over her belly.

* * *

At some point, Brennan must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, she was being shaken awake. She blinked and looked up, surprised to see Booth hovering over her. She rubbed her eyes and refocused on him. "Huh?"

"Morning." Booth yawned and scratched at his cheek, where a beard was beginning to grow. "I woke up and you weren't in bed."

She looked around, momentarily disoriented. "I fell asleep in the nursery again."

He smiled. "Uh-huh."

"I couldn't sleep." She paused. "What time is it?"

"Early, five to six," he answered, helping her stand. After a quick peck on the lips, he guided her out into the hall and back to their bedroom. He climbed into bed and got comfy as he waited for her to finish in the bathroom.

She joined him in bed and scooted closer to him, lying on her side facing him. "You don't have to worry about me, Booth," she said, reaching out to trace the deepened lines in his forehead. "I'm fine." She paused and added, "Exhausted, but fine."

He leaned forward and brushed his lips across her forehead, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her towards him. He trailed his hand through her hair and down her arm as he stared at her unconsciously.

"Booth?"

He shook his head. "I know you're, um, pregnant…" He paused. "I mean, _really _pregnant…"

She narrowed her eyes and her eyebrows shot up to her hairline.

"What I mean is, uh," he cleared his throat, "you're due pretty soon, well not soon soon, but soonish. Seven weeks, right?"

She nodded, still glaring at him.

"You remember that trip we took before Christine was born?"

Her eyes lit up and she smirked. "Oh, yes. It was quite the memorable trip. Angela called it a babymoon. She said it was a way for us to reconnect and build stronger bonds before the baby was born." She chuckled. "We certainly connected."

He smiled. "Yeah, we did." He shook his head, not wanting to go _there _right now. "What would you say to doing something like that again?" Before she could answer, he went on. "But instead of it just being the two of us, we could take Christine with us."

She shifted on the mattress as she thought about his proposal. "I don't know, Booth." She sighed. "It's not that I don't want to go or that I don't think it's a good idea," she clarified, seeing his expression fall. "It's just that I'm twenty-nine weeks pregnant. My energy levels are low and I tire quite easily. Not to mention, I have to urinate every thirty minutes and the extra weight of carrying twins is putting a lot of pressure on my joints, so I've been finding it painful to simply walk the few feet between our bedroom and the kitchen. I don't think I would be much fun. Perhaps you and Christine could take a trip together instead."

He blinked. "Without you?"

"Yes."

He shook his head. "Absolutely not, Bones. The whole point of this trip is for us to be a family."

"I'll think about it."

"Okay." He paused. "There's this place about an hour away. It's not a five-star resort or anything; just a cabin in the woods. It's got showers and toilets, so it's not like we'd be totally roughing it or anything, but it's still got that camping vibe. It's pretty nice. At least, it was nice the last time I was there eight years ago. It's secluded, but not so much so that we couldn't get somewhere fast if we needed to." He glanced down at her belly, but didn't elaborate; he didn't need to. "There's a river close by. It's a great little fishing spot, or it used to be, anyway; I don't know what it's like now. Oh, and we can go swimming, too, and there's some pretty awesome hiking trails. I bet there's even more now. Christine will love it. Parker did."

She yawned and let her eyes close. "It sounds very nice, Booth." She yawned again and snuggled into the sheets; she was asleep not long after that.

He rolled onto his side and reached out, brushing some hair that fell into her eyes. Now that he got her stamp of approval, he'd spend his downtime tomorrow hammering out the details.


	21. Chapter 21

Booth, dressed casually in jeans, a plain t-shirt, and worn sneakers, was resting against the SUV's right passenger door, arms crossed, waiting for Brennan and Christine to come out of the house. It was just after eight in the morning and he hoped to be on the road by 8:30, nine o'clock at the latest. At the rate his wife and daughter seemed to be going, it was going to be eleven by the time they left the driveway. "Bones! Christine! C'mon. Let's go!"

A few minutes later, Christine came bounding out of the house, a small duffle-style suitcase bouncing up and down, hitting her back, as she ran towards the SUV.

He stepped away from the vehicle, bent his knees, and caught her around the waist when she reached him, lifting her up in the air. "Finally. Where's your mom?"

She pointed back to the house. "Inside."

He smirked and kissed her on the cheek before settling her down on her feet. "I know that, silly."

She shrugged and looked up at him. "If you knew where Mommy was, why did you ask?"

He shook his head and placed her bag on top of his in the trunk. "Let's go hurry Mom along, shall we?" He winked and held his arm out for her.

She nodded and hooked her arm with his. "Okay, Daddy." Together, they walked back up the driveway, towards the house.

"Bones?" he called, walking through the front door.

"I'm right here," Brennan answered, an edge to her voice.

"What took you so long? I thought you packed last night?" They all did, at her urging, in fact. It was supposed to ensure they'd get on the road reasonably quickly and cut back on rushing, which would, in theory, help prevent them from forgetting something important.

"I did." Brennan shrugged, adjusting the bag on her shoulder.

He stepped back to allow her to exit the house and that was when he realized she had two suitcases. He was pretty sure he had only seen her packing _one_ the night before. That could explain what held her up, but why did she need two bags? They were only going to be gone three days.

"I needed to pack my pillows," Brennan explained.

"You mean," he glanced at the second bag she was carrying, "that's filled with pillows?"

Brennan nodded. "Yes." She stared at him, a crease forming between her eyebrows. Why was he looking at her like that?

"Some women have a separate bag for their makeup or their shoes, but my wife packs a bag for her pillows," he muttered, cracking a smile. "The cabin's got its own pillows, Bones, and they're not those cheap, flimsy things either; I checked."

"I am sure they are satisfactory, but I don't care. I am seven months pregnant and I need every one of these pillows to sleep comfortably; therefore, I am bringing them along. Do you have a problem with that?" She raised an eyebrow and stepped towards him, her gaze locked on his, silently challenging him to object.

He swallowed. "Uh, no, no problem here. Whatever you need to do to be comfortable, Bones."

"Good. Now, let's go."

He nodded and followed her and Christine out of the house, locking the door behind him.

* * *

They were five minutes down the road when Brennan shifted in her seat and looked over at him. "Booth?"

Booth took his eyes off the road for a second to glance at her. "What?"

She settled back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest, resting them on the top of her baby bump. "Why was it so imperative that we leave by 8:30?" she asked, recalling him telling her the night before and again earlier in the morning that he hoped to be on the road by that specific time. "If I recall correctly, the campsite doesn't have a set check-in time and it is only fifty minutes away."

He bit his lip and shrugged. "Um, I just don't want to waste any of our vacation time. We'll get there by ten, explore the place for a little bit, and still have the whole day to do stuff."

She nodded. "I suppose that makes sense." She yawned and leaned against the door. "It's not like I lost any valuable sleep, anyway. I was just curious as to why you were rushing around this morning." She looked out the window, occasionally studying the signs they passed. One in particular caught her attention and she sat up straighter and looked over at Booth again. "Booth?"

He smiled, but kept his eyes on the road and the traffic.

"It is inadvisable for me to fly this late in my pregnancy." She pointed out as he took the exit for the airport.

"I know, Bones." He laughed, as if he'd actually put her and the babies at risk; she should know that by now. Minutes later, he was following signs for the arrivals area and parking at the curb. He unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped out before Brennan could even ask what they were doing there, if not to fly somewhere.

Christine, who was watching a DVD in the backseat, took her eyes off the handheld player and looked out the window, wondering if they were there already. Her eyes widened and she smiled, yanking the headphones off and struggling to get out of her seatbelt as fast as she could. "Parker!"

Brennan jumped and looked out the window. Sure enough, Booth was standing there, his arm slung around Parker's shoulders, both engaged in a conversation. The teenager was nearly as tall as his father and would likely surpass him in height soon. She watched as the two of them approached the SUV, both laughing about something. She blinked and it all made sense to her; the reason Booth was desperate to leave on time for their trip was because they needed to get to the airport to pick up Parker.

The back passenger side door opened and Parker climbed in. "Surprise!" He laughed, settling into the seat beside his little sister, who immediately wrapped her arms around him and practically crawled into his lap. "I missed you too, Lil' Sis," he teased.

"Are you going on vacation with us?"

Parker nodded. "Yep."

"Yay!" Christine's eyes sparkled as she told her big brother all about the cool things Booth said they were going to do during their camping trip.

"Yeah, it's gonna be fun." Parker turned his attention to the front of the car. "Hey, Bones."

Brennan smiled. "Hello, Parker. This _is_ quite the surprise."

"A good surprise, I hope."

Brennan nodded. "Of course."

Parker let out a breath. "Good." He paused. "You have no idea how hard it's been keeping this a secret. I wanted to tell you so bad, but Dad said I couldn't. I told him it wasn't good to surprise a pregnant woman because the shock could cause them to go into labor, but he said I couldn't say anything; I couldn't even hint at it." He sighed. "You're not having contractions or anything, are you?"

Brennan shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

"Damn. If you were, I could rub it in Dad's face that I was right, that I should have said something sooner."

"I'm right here, you know?" Booth said, trying to navigate the crowded arrivals area in order to get back onto the highway.

Brennan patted him on the leg and continued her conversation with her stepson. They talked about school and his extracurricular activities and how the babies were doing, but there weren't many updates to give on either subject since they had spoken on the phone only a few days ago.

* * *

The rest of the trip passed fairly quickly. Brennan took a short nap while Parker listened to his music and Christine watched her movie. Booth stopped for gas halfway there, giving everyone a chance to stretch their legs, get a little something to eat, and use the restroom if needed. A small traffic jam slowed them down slightly, but Booth made up some of that time later on. Even with the stop at the airport and the gas station and being stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic for a few exits, they still made it to the campsite before eleven o'clock, leaving them plenty of time to rest a while, unpack, explore the grounds, and do at least one activity before dinner.

* * *

_**So, it's been a while since I've updated this story and I feel somewhat guilty about that, especially since this chapter's been finished for months. ****I haven't given up on this story and no matter how long it takes, I promise it will be completed. **_

_**P.S. The next chapter is already written (has been for months...again, sorry!) and I will be posting it tomorrow. **_

_**Thanks for sticking with me (and this story). I hope this chapter was worth the VERY LONG wait between updates. ;) **_


	22. Chapter 22

**_As promised, here's the next chapter..._**

* * *

After unpacking and taking a few hours to relax, eat a light lunch, and explore the area, Parker suggested they go down to the lake; he had seen a boat rental place and wanted to check it out. "Dad, they have paddle boats," he said, reading the pamphlet the clerk had handed him. "Canoes, kayaks, they even rent rafts, inner tubes, blow up trampolines, and jet skis." He paused and turned to look at his dad. "I vote jet skis."

Booth glanced at Brennan and then to his daughter before looking at his son. "Uh, I don't think so, Bub. How about the paddle boats?"

Parker shrugged. "I guess they could be fun too."

Hearing the disappointment in his son's voice, Booth put his arm around his shoulders and pulled him into his side. "Don't worry. We've got plenty of time to check out the jet skis. Maybe we'll do that tomorrow."

Parker smiled. "Really?"

Booth nodded and walked up to the counter. He rented two paddle boats, one for him and Brennan, the other for Parker and Christine. "C'mon." He called, heading towards the door. "The boats are down by the dock." He shooed them out of the shack.

Parker and Christine raced down to the water, the teen scooping an unsuspecting little girl up and onto his shoulders halfway there.

Christine squealed. "Put me down!" She kicked and squirmed before relaxing on her big brother's strong shoulders. She held onto his hair as he held onto her ankles.

"Be careful, you two!" Booth shouted after them as he followed a good distance behind, the steep hill a bit challenging for Brennan.

The kids had their boat untethered by the time the adults reached the dock. "It's about time," Parker said, pushing the faded blue and white boat into the water. "Climb in, Lil' Sis."

Christine climbed in and settled into the seat before she watched Parker jump in beside her.

Parker turned and waved to Booth and Brennan. "See ya 'pokes out there." He laughed and instructed Christine to peddle.

Brennan, a little out of breath from the trek down the hill, turned to Booth, a confused look on her face. "He meant slow pokes, correct?"

Booth nodded. "Yeah." A mischievous look overtook his features as he untied the boat, theirs a dark green with white seats, and pushed it into the water. "Get in."

Brennan struggled a bit, but with Booth's help she managed to seat herself on the right.

Booth got in and looked at her. She seemed exhausted already and he began to rethink this whole vacation.

As if hearing his inner thoughts, she reached over and rested her hand on his leg, gaining his attention. "I'm fine. This is fun. Well, it hasn't been too much fun yet, but I believe this activity and the rest of the trip will be," she reassured him, smiling.

He nodded. "If you get tired, just tell me and we can stop and just float for a while."

"Just peddle. We have a cocky teen to teach a lesson." She smirked, eying Parker and Christine, who were already in the middle of the lake.

He winked, laughing. "Right." With one last look at his wife, he began to peddle.

* * *

"You guys totally cheated," Parker pouted as he tied up the boat an hour later.

Booth shook his head. "We beat you fair and square, Bub." He laughed and once again, wrapped his arm around his son's shoulder. "I may be 'old', but I am not slow."

"Yeah, well, you got Bones as a partner, I had Christine. It wasn't an even matchup." The two guys made their way up to where the girls were resting on a bench near the boat rental shack, the hour-long paddle boat adventure clearly wearing them both out. "Rematch tomorrow? You, me and a couple of jet skis?"

Booth nodded. "You're on." He held out his hand for Brennan, who accepted it without a word. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "You okay?"

Brennan sighed. "Yes." She paused, glancing quickly at Parker. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked, not at all seriously.

Booth laughed. "I think so. He's just got a bruised ego, that's all."

"I heard that." Parker took Christine's hand and the four of them headed back to their cabin, arguing about what to eat for dinner the whole way.

* * *

Later that night, Brennan sat, sipping tea, in an oversized Adirondack chair outside on the small deck attached to their cabin. She had a book open on her lap, but she was looking out at the river through the trees. She shivered, a gust of wind blowing against her as the sun began to set and the sky grew darker.

Booth stepped out and approached her quietly. "Bones?"

She jumped, nearly spilling her tea in the process, and turned her head towards him. "Yes, Booth?"

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "I know you're probably tired, but you maybe want to head down to the river for a little bit? Parker can keep an eye on Christine while we're gone."

She took a drink and replaced her mug on the table beside her. "What would we do at the lake?"

He shrugged again. "I don't know. We can take that bottle of sparkling cider we've got in the fridge and we can rent a paddle boat or a canoe?" He suggested. "Or we can just sit on the beach, put our feet in the water, relax."

"Or we can go swimming."

"Yeah, that too. So you wanna go?"

She smiled. "Yes. It sounds like _fun," _she emphasized as she stood up. She headed into the cabin and went into their bedroom to change into her bathing suit.

He had put his on before coming out onto the deck, so he stopped in the kitchen to put her mug in the sink and then continued on to the living room to ask Parker to watch Christine.

* * *

"How much money do I get?" Parker asked, only half joking. "My usual rate is ten an hour, but since we're family, I'll accept eight."

"You'll accept nothing because that's what you're getting." Booth shook his head and sank down in the recliner.

Parker shrugged. "It was worth a shot."

Brennan came out of the bedroom wearing one of Booth's band T-shirts, her deep green bathing suit just visible below the hem. She walked up to Booth and tapped him on the shoulder. "Are you ready?"

Booth stood up and turned to face her, his eyes widening at the sight of her standing there. "Uh," he swallowed, "yeah." He paused. "Um, Parker keep an eye on Christine. We'll be back, um, later." He nodded. "Yeah, later."

Parker rolled his eyes. "Don't get arrested," he warned.

Booth sputtered, looking away from Brennan and staring at his son. "Wha—at?"

Parker shook his head. "Nothing. Bye." He waved and turned back to the movie he and Christine were watching.

* * *

Booth held Brennan's hand firmly in his as they walked down a ramp leading to a semi-private beach area.

"Booth?" Brennan blinked and turned her head towards him. "What is this?"

He smiled, pulling her forward. "A midnight snack."

"It's seven o'clock."

He shrugged. "Then it's a seven o'clock snack." He laughed and bent over, smoothing out the blanket he had set up earlier. He sat down, motioning for her to do the same. "C'mon."

She shook her head and carefully joined him. Curiosity getting the better of her, she lifted the lid of the wicker basket and peeked inside. There she found two large slices of pie, one cherry, the other blueberry, and a can of whipped cream. After closing the lid, she noticed the bottle of sparkling cider chilling in a bucket of ice. She looked over at Booth and raised an eyebrow. "How did you know I'd say yes?"

He smiled. "I have my ways." He paused and grabbed the two Champagne glasses he had stood up in the sand and handed her one. He popped open the bottle and filled each glass halfway. Setting the bottle back down, he held his glass up. "Here's to two healthy babies and many more family trips."

She nodded in agreement and clinked her glass against his. She took a generous sip of sparkling cider and put her glass down in front of her. She scooted closer to him on the blanket and stretched her legs out, putting her arms behind her as she crossed her ankles. "This is nice," she said, taking in the view of the orangey-pink sky reflecting off the rippled surface of the river. "It's beautiful."

Rubbing circles on her back, he nodded "Yeah, it is," he whispered, his eyes focused on her instead of the sunset.

She leaned against him slightly, her head falling to his right shoulder. She closed her eyes and let out a breath. "Don't stop," she demanded as he slid his hand down towards the base of her spine and continued his gentle massaging.

He slipped his hand underneath her t-shirt and paused with his hand on her bare back. With no protest forthcoming, he began kneading his fingers into her skin and muscles, sometimes using the heal of his hand instead.

"Hmm," she mumbled, being jostled a little while he repositioned himself behind her. "If you keep doing that, I'm going to fall asleep," she mumbled, swallowing a yawn.

"If you fall asleep, you won't get any pie."

She perked up. "I forgot about the pie." She scooted forward and reached for the picnic basket. She pulled out the two pieces of pie, handing him the cherry and keeping the blueberry for herself.

Wielding the can of whipped cream, he piled some onto each slice before spraying some directly into his mouth.

She took a bite of pie and moaned. She was halfway done with her slice when she looked over at him, eyeing his partially eaten dessert. "Are you going to finish that?"

He pulled his plate closer to him and shooed her away with his fork. "Mine."

She pouted, but shrugged, going back to enjoying her own pie. When her plate was empty she discarded it into the empty basket and watched as Booth licked the last crumbs off his plate and tossed it on top of hers.

After a few moments, he looked from her, remnants of her dessert still on her lips, and the picnic basket, and started to laugh, his whole body shaking, his breaths coming out in short bursts.

She blinked, raising an eyebrow and placing her hand on his arm. "Booth? Booth! I do not know what you find so amusing, but I would like to laugh too."

He shook his head. "I just," he gasped, "a psychologist might have something to say about," he swallowed, biting his bottom lip to keep from laughing.

"Something to say about what?"

"About you eating blueberry pie and enjoying it." He started laughing all over again, his explanation only confusing her more.

"Why would a psychologist have any interest in that?" She paused. "A person's tastes can change, Booth," she said, thinking perhaps her sudden liking of pie after years of voicing her dislike of cooked fruit, was the answer to that.

He shook his head, his laughter finally easing up. "You just ate our kids!" So much for his laughter quitting.

"Booth, you're scaring me. What is the matter? And what are you talking about?"

"_Blueberry_," he sputtered.

Her eyes widened. "Oh! I understand now." She paused. "That is completely idiotic, Booth."

He held his hands up in mock surrender. "Hey, I didn't say there was a connection, like you're some twisted psychopath who takes pleasure in eating her own children."

"Booth!" She slapped him on the arm.

"I said I _didn't _think that." He shrugged. "Moving on." He finished off his glass of sparkling cider and poured himself another. "I was only kidding." He smiled at her and put his glass back in the sand. He lay flat on the blanket and then rolled onto his side.

She glared at him but settled down beside him. Her expression suddenly became pained, her eyes glossy. "I love these babies, Booth."

He sighed. "Bones, I was only joking. You know how Sweets always had some theory about this or that because of some stupid thing we said or did or didn't say or do. And if any psychologist came up with one about you eating and enjoying a slice of blueberry pie, he's a clown. Forget I said anything, okay?"

She nodded. "I do hate psychology and Sweets did have the habit of making a big deal out of absolutely nothing." She paused. "I knew you were joking, but I suppose I was just afraid you believed there was a connection. I wanted to make sure you knew I feel so much for these babies already and as difficult as it is going to be to care for two newborns at once while also caring for a five year-old, I do not wish any harm upon Blue or Bear."

"Hey, I know, I know, Bones." He pressed his lips against hers, while he wrapped her in a hug, pulling her as close to him as was possible with her belly. _If my mouth was any bigger, I could fit my whole leg in my mouth instead of just my foot. _"I'm sorry," he whispered, brushing away the few tears that now streaked her cheeks.

She nodded. "I know and I am too. My mind is—I am not thinking as clearly as I usually am." When his arms fell away, she pushed herself up to a sitting position and eyed the river again. The sun had since completely set and it was dark, save for a few lights from the surrounding cabins. She stood and peeled off the t-shirt. She stepped off the blanket, her feet sinking into the cooling sand, and looked down at Booth. "Would you like to join me? I'd like to go for a swim."

"Are you sure? I mean the water's probably freezing and—."

"Then I'll go by myself." She started to make her way down to the water, but stopped when she heard Booth calling after her.

"Bones, wait! That wasn't me saying no." He jumped up, pulling his shirt off as he ran down to meet her.

* * *

Surprisingly the water wasn't _that_ cold. It felt nice, actually. Booth and Brennan swam far enough from the shore that the water was up to their shoulders but not too far where they couldn't stand.

While Brennan was distracted by trying to locate and name as many constellations as she could, Booth slapped at the water, splashing her.

She gasped in surprise and whipped around, sending a wave of water back in his direction.

He slipped under the surface before it could hit him and when he broke the surface, he splashed her again.

This time, however, she was expecting it. She retaliated and got him square in the face. She laughed. "Gotcha ya!" She recognized the desire to win in his eyes and quickly took off, swimming towards the shore.

He chased after her, catching up to her quickly. He was about to grab her when she switched directions and swam away from him. She was surprisingly fast for a woman, who was seven months pregnant with twins. He knew the water had something to do with it; he'd have easily caught her by now if they were running on land.

Out of breath, she stopped swimming/running and sank down into the water. She didn't want to concede defeat, but she was tired. She knew he was going to come up behind her and as stealthy a swimmer as he was, she could sense him getting closer. She smirked, an idea hitting her suddenly.

He came up and wrapped his arms around her.

She twisted in his arms and studied his eyes. She knew he was trying to figure out the perfect moment to splash her, but she also knew the moment he realized something.

"Bones?"

She lifted her hand out of the water, her bathing suit top dangling from her fingertips. She dropped it and with him distracted by the fact that she was nearly naked, she took the opportunity to splash him.

He shook his head and wiped the water from his eyes. "You're evil."

She quirked an eyebrow. _You haven't seen evil yet, Booth._ She grabbed her top and took off towards the beach before he could blink twice.

"Bones!" He groaned and swam after her.

* * *

It was nearing nine, but neither Booth nor Brennan wished to return to their cabin, so after lying on the blanket for a while, catching their breath and recovering from their swim, the couple decided to take a walk on the beach, along the water's edge.

Brennan slipped her hand in his casually as they slowly made their way down the long stretch of rocky sand. She leaned against him for warmth, the cooling air whipping through the thin fabric of her black shirt, and let out a contented sigh. "I'd very much like to take more trips like this in the future."

Booth glanced down at her and nodded. "Me too. I think Parker and Christine are having fun."

She tilted her head back and smiled. "I meant like _this_." She paused. "As much as I enjoy being here with you, Parker, and Christine, I find the thought of you and I taking a trip together, alone, much more appealing. Perhaps some place where skinny-dipping is encouraged, not prohibited due to underage guests." She laughed. "But I do wish to take more family vacations, as well. The work we do is extremely important and it takes up a majority of our time, but it's not my _whole_ life anymore and I don't want to forget that," she said, the conversation suddenly growing serious. "And," her voice shook, "what we do is dangerous. There have been too many close calls, Booth. If either of us die while doing this job, I don't want Christine or these babies, to—." She swallowed. "They're going to wish they had more time, it's inevitable; my mother's been gone a long time and I still wish for that, but—."

He pulled her into his side. "I know, Bones." They had stopped walking and were just standing there, their feet sinking farther into the sand, the water up to their ankles.

"I want them to have memories, Booth, good ones."

"They will, Bones." He sighed. He turned his body towards hers and bumped up her chin with his thumb. "Christine already has some great memories." He placed his hands on either side of her stomach and smiled. "And Blue and Bear will too. You and I will make sure of that, and Angela and Hodgins, too, and the rest of the Squints and Cam."

She nodded.

"We'll take more trips like this one, even if we just camp out in our backyard."

Her eyes sparkled. "Christine would love that."

He lightly grazed her forehead with hips and wrapped his arms tightly around, pulling her impossibly close to him. "C'mon, let's go back to the cabin. We can tuck Christine in and read her a story."

She smiled. "I'd like that."

"Me too, Bones." He stepped back and took her hand, the two of them heading back up the hill. "What have you told me a million times, Bones? I'm not my dad. Well, you're not your parents either. Christine and these babies will look back on their childhood with fondness not dread. When they're adults, they'll remember all their happy memories, not just the bad ones. I promise."

"Even though I know you can't actually promise me the things you say will come true, it makes me feel better anyway. Thanks, Booth."

"What am I here for if not to call you out on your crazy and make you think clearly again?"

She pushed him, nearly knocking him into the railing. "I'm not crazy."

He scrunched up his face. "Eh, you're a little crazy."

"I am not."

He pinched his fingers together. "Just a little bit." He laughed, smirking at her.

"I am not crazy. My concerns are completely valid, Booth."

His shoulders sagged a bit and his smile fell. _Foot, meet mouth…again. _It had to be the hormones, right? She'd never have taken him so seriously before, right? _How much longer until these babies are born? I don't think I can take much more of this. _Not wanting to upset her any further, he let it go and continued walking towards their cabin.

Just as they reached the front door, she stopped and grabbed his arm, preventing him from entering. "Booth, you're scared too, aren't you?"

He turned to face her, holding both her hands. "Of course, Bones. I didn't mean to make it seem like your concerns weren't justified. Everything you said, I feel the same way sometimes, most of the time, really. The one thing I want for my children more than anything is for them to actually get to be kids while they _are_ kids. Every time I get hurt, or I'm stuck at work for the weekend instead of being at home with Christine, I worry that I'm failing to make sure that happens."

She nodded. "I can understand that." She paused. "Can we talk about something else now. I am tired of being sad."

He laughed. "Yeah, how about we talk about how you cheated back there."

"I didn't cheat."

He opened the door and held it open. "That was an evil thing you did, Bones."

She stepped into the living room and looked at him over her shoulder. "It is not my fault you are distracted by my breasts." She turned around and headed for their bedroom to get ready for bed.

He shook his head and shut the door. "Parks? Christine?" He walked down the small hallway and peeked into the room the kids were sharing. He smiled, seeing them both asleep on the bottom bunk, Parker's arms wrapped protectively around his little sister. From the doorway, he could see faint tear tracks on his daughter's cheeks and it took everything in him not to run over and find out what had happened. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Brennan standing there in a bathrobe.

"Whatever it is, he handled it."

He nodded.

"It was most likely a nightmare."

He nodded again.

"Come to bed. Let them sleep."

Not able to resist, he approached the bed and knelt down. He tucked the sheets around both kids and gave them each a kiss.

"Dad?" Parker mumbled. "What time is it?"

"Almost ten, Bub. Go back to sleep. I'll see you in the morning." Booth got up and walked back to the door. He flicked off the light and as he was shutting the door, he heard his son mutter something along the lines of 'You owe me 24 dollars'. He laughed and went to join Brennan in their bedroom.

* * *

**_The next chapter is partially written, but I'm not sure when I'll have the time to finish it, so I'm not making any promises on when I'll update again. _**

**_From how it's shaping up, I can tell you that the family will split up in the next couple of chapters; Chapter 23 will focus on Brennan and Christine and Chapter 24 will be all about Booth and Parker. If there's anything you guys are dying to read about with these pairings, let me know. As the chapters are still in progress, I'll be happy to incorporate any (reasonable) requests. _**

**_Hope you enjoyed this chapter!_**

**_Thanks again for the reviews/alerts. I'll do my best to update as soon as I possibly can._**


	23. Chapter 23

**_Hey, it's an update! Just some more Booth/Brennan family vacation fluff...enjoy!_**

* * *

The next day, the family of four split up; Booth and Parker went back down to the river and rented a pair of jet skis, while Brennan and Christine decided to check out the pool. Brennan was still recovering from yesterday's double trek to the river and the drive to the campground, so a relaxing morning by the pool sounded amazing to her. She had also read something about a lazy river; Christine was just excited that there was a 15-foot spiral slide.

Brennan sat on a bench in the shallow end, smiling as she watched Christine climb up the stairs, slide down into the pool, and repeat the process over and over again, her little giggles carrying through the air; that little girl sure was fearless. She took her eyes off the slide for a second and when she looked back up, she noticed that Christine was trying to coax another small child to go down the slide. Brennan could tell the little blonde boy was terrified, his shaking legs visible and his cries audible from where she was sitting. His father, who was standing beside the two children, reached his hand out to take the boy's, but Christine held hers up as if to say, 'I got this', and she did. A few seconds later, Christine and the boy came barreling down the slide together, splashing into the water, laughing.

Brennan smiled and subconsciously rubbed her abdomen, hoping that Christine would show as much compassion and patience with her baby brother and sister as she did with that little boy on the slide. She sighed. She wasn't sure that would be the case since her daughter still wished the babies didn't exist.

After a few more times on the slide, Christine swam over to Brennan and climbed up onto the bench. "Mommy, did you see me? Huh? Did you see me?"

Brennan nodded. "I did. You are very brave."

"Just like Daddy, right?" Christine paused. "And you, too," she added.

Brennan kissed her daughter's forehead. "Yes."

"William invited me to the playground. Can I go? I wanna go."

"Who is William?" Brennan asked, even though she had an idea.

Christine rolled her eyes. "My new friend, Mommy." The 'Duh' obvious. "Can I go? His Daddy said it was okay as long as you said it was okay and he said you can come too."

"Maybe in a little while, Christine."

Christine pouted. "Okay." She shrugged and kicked her legs up and down. "Mommy?"

Brennan glanced down at her daughter. "Yes?"

"Are the babies kicking right now?"

Brennan shook her head. "Not currently."

"Oh." Christine sounded disappointed. "Is it almost time? I told William you were my Mommy and you were having a baby soon. He said you had to be twenty months pregnant 'cause his Mommy never got this big when his little sister was born. I told him he was stupid because that was impossible unless you're an elephant and you're not an elephant." She paused. "It's not going to take _that_ long, right, Mommy? The babies will be here soon."

Brennan smiled. "The babies will be born sometime between now and the end of August, Sweetheart."

"I changed my mind, Mommy."

"What? About going to the park with William? Honey, you shouldn't not hang out with someone just because they're less intelligent than you are; not everyone has the same opportunities of enrichment as you do."

Christine shook her head, laughing. "No, Mommy. I still want to go to the park with William."

Brennan felt a little foolish. "Oh, then what subject have you changed your mind about?"

"About being a big sister. I wanna be one now."

"You do?"

Christine nodded. "Uh-huh." She reached over and placed one hand flat on Brennan's stomach, right above her navel. "Mommy?

Brennan nodded.

"Aren't the babies squished in there?"

"Space is limited, but for now, they seem to be comfortable."

Christine pressed against Brennan's belly and squealed when she felt a foot push against her palm. "Did you feel that? Did you? Did you? Did you? Did you?" she asked, her voice rising with each subsequent _'did you'. _She practically shouted the last one.

Brennan laughed, resting her hand on top of her daughter's much smaller one. "Yes, I did. That was Bear, your baby brother; currently, your sister prefers to wiggle." She shivered, feeling someone step up behind. Before she had the chance to tilt her head to see who it was, she heard—

"Daddy! Parker!" Christine climbed out of the pool and a second later, she was lifted up into the air by Booth's strong arms, landing with an 'oof' on his hip.

"Hi, Princess." Booth pressed on a kiss to Christine's damp hair and held her closer to his side. He looked down at Brennan, who was smiling up at him. "Hey, Bones. Miss us?"

Brennan raised an eyebrow. "We have only been separated for two hours. That is hardly enough time to miss the presence of someone. As a matter of fact, I was just thinking about how wonderful it has been without you here. It's been a very relaxing morning." She stood up, but made no move to get out of the pool. "What are you doing here?" She didn't give him time to answer. "Wait," she smirked, "_you_ missed _me,_ didn't you?"

Booth shook his head. "No. Jeez, Bones, it's only been two hours."

Slowly climbing up the steps and getting out of the water, Brennan reached for her towel and wrapped it around her. She approached and stood in front of Booth, their height difference heightened by the fact that she was barefoot. She poked his chest and said, "You seem to believe that two hours is an adequate amount of time to miss someone, so logically, I can conclude that you missed me terribly, so terribly, in fact, that you had to cut your day short with Parker just to seek me out at the pool." She turned to Parker, who was trying and failing to stifle a laugh. "Hello, Parker."

Parker nodded. "Hi, Bones."

"Daddy, did you miss me?" Christine interrupted.

Booth tickled Christine's belly, making the little girl giggle. "Of course." He winked at Brennan, who rolled her eyes.

"We were just about to head over to the playground for a little while. Christine made a friend earlier and he invited her." Brennan slipped her cover-up over her bathing suit and slid into her sandals. "Will you be joining us?"

Booth looked at Parker, raising an eyebrow in question. He didn't think his son would want to, but he asked anyway.

To Booth's surprise, Parker shrugged and nodded.

"Yeah, let's go. The river was getting boring anyway and I think my back's sunburn."

"Oh? Let me see." Brennan began to pull at his shirt, but Booth shimmied away.

"It's fine."

"Did you put on sunscreen? I remember putting two bottles in your backpack. That should have been enough for both you and Parker."

"It was enough, more than enough. I just might have, uh, forgot to reapply." Booth shrugged. Between racing jet skis, swimming in the river, and spending an hour fishing, the last thing on his mind that morning was reapplying sunscreen.

Brennan slapped him, causing him to wince. "Booth!"

Booth ran a thumb across her cheek bone, just below her left eye. "It looks like you got a little sunburn, yourself, Bones," he said, turning the tables.

Brennan pinched her lips together. "That's," she paused, "not possible, Booth. I reapplied every thirty minutes."

"Guess you should have reapplied every twenty." Booth chuckled to himself and turned his focus to Christine. "So, Monkey, tell me about your new friend."

Christine smiled. "His name is William and he was too scared to go down the slide, but I wasn't, I was brave, like you and Mommy, and his daddy was gonna take him down the stairs because he was too afraid, but I got him to come down the slide with me and he loved it. He said Mommy had to be twenty months pregnant, but I said that wasn't possible unless she was an elephant and she's not an elephant. He asked me to go the playground with him and his daddy invited mommy to go, too, but I don't think he'd mind if you and Parker come too." She exhaled.

Booth just smiled, not sure he got everything his daughter said. "Let's go, then."

After looking at her face in her compact mirror and pressing lightly on the redness of her cheeks, Brennan dismissed Booth's accusation that she was sunburn. The flush appearance to her face was likely due to the heat and _not_ damaging UV rays. Satisfied, she packed up their bag and the four of them headed off in the direction of the playground. She'd find the time later to tell Booth the good news about Christine accepting her role as big sister, though she realized the chances of him finding out without her having to spill the beans, _metaphorically, _was high. She'd even go as far as postulating that he'd know before they even reached the playground.

* * *

**_This will be the last Vacation chapter. As I'm attempting to wrap this story up soon, there will be a surprise in the next chapter. Is it a good or bad surprise? I'm not telling. You'll just have to wait for the update to find out ;)_**

**_Until next time, thanks for reading. _**


	24. Chapter 24

**_Well, here it is...the chapter I hinted about in my last author's note. A nice long one for you guys; I hope you like it. _**

* * *

The weekend following their trip to the lake, Brennan was in the twins' nursery, sorting through some newly acquired baby clothes. She laughed and rolled her eyes as she held up a three-piece, grey suit, remembering Angela's explanation as she showed her best friend that particular impulse purchase. 'Good Aunts don't let their nephews dress like bums.' She hung it up in the closet, in the back, since it wouldn't fit Bear until at least his first birthday, and continued through the pile. Tutus and floral dresses. A pair of footie pajamas with Sunglass-clad, smiling pineapples printed on them and a pair with laughing sharks. Two leather jackets. Two rain coats, one made to look like a ladybug, the other a dinosaur. T-shirts with varying images, ranging from a surfing bulldog to dancing flamingos. Cargo shorts, jeans, legging in every color possible, hoodies, and striped sweaters.

By the time Brennan was finished, she was exhausted. As she collapsed into the glider, she made a mental note to tell Angela if she felt inclined to buy all of this for the babies, then she should feel just as inclined to put it all away.

"There you are." Booth walked into the room, holding a wiggling, giggling little girl in his arms. "Christine wants another guest at her tea party." He let Christine down and she immediately ran over to Brennan.

Christine nodded and tugged on her mother's arm. "Please, Mommy. We can't keep the President and First Lady waiting."

Brennan glanced over her daughter's head and raised an eyebrow at Booth.

Booth shrugged and smiled at her. "Yeah, Bones, we can't keep them waiting."

"Okay, okay. I'm coming." Brennan paused. "Um, Booth, could you please?" She motioned for him to help her out of the chair.

Booth snickered, but pinched his lips together at the glare he received.

"Don't laugh at me."

"Sorry." Booth gave Brennan a hand. "Pretty good, huh?"

Brennan looked at him strangely. "What?"

"Didn't you notice I hung the letters on the walls above their cribs?"

Brennan followed his eyes and blinked. "Oh. Yes, I see that." She tilted her head and squinted. "The 'R' seems a bit crooked."

Booth reached out and tilted her head back straight. "How does it look now?" He rolled his eyes. "Trust me, those names are level. I don't even remember how many times I rehung those damn things."

Brennan shrugged. "I still say the 'R' in Bear's name is crooked."

"Your eyes are crooked."

"That doesn't make any sense, Booth."

Christine crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "Mommy, Daddy, didn't you hear me? The President and First Lady are waiting!" She turned and left the room, leading the way down the hall and into the living room where the tea party was set up.

"You heard the kid. Our guests are waiting for their _tea_." Booth pressed a kiss to Brennan's lips and went after their little girl.

Brennan shook her head and left the nursery, shutting the door behind her. She paused just outside and rested her hand on her stomach. _Not too long now, _she thought, as she continued towards the living room. If only she knew how _soon_.

* * *

Brennan went to work on Monday, even though she wasn't feeling 100%. Booth had wanted her to stay home, but since she wasn't contagious, his suggestion was disregarded. She was at her desk, rubbing her temples, when Angela walked in without knocking. "Not now, Angela," she greeted, without looking up.

Angela ignored the anthropologist and sat down on the couch. "Good morning to you, too, Sweetie."

Brennan sighed. "Do you need something?"

Angela suddenly grew concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just feeling a bit off. I'm fine."

"_Off? _That doesn't sound like you."

Brennan shrugged. "I didn't get much sleep last night and I have a slight headache. It's nothing. If you don't need me for something, I'd like to get back to work now." She shifted on her chair and tried, unsuccessfully to hide her wince.

"Brennan?"

Waving the artist off, Brennan turned her focus back to her computer. "I'm fine. Christine insisted we have a tea party with the President and First Lady yesterday. I strained my back sitting in one of her play chairs. They weren't designed for adults to sit in comfortably, most certainly not pregnant women."

Angela nodded, not believing a word her friend was saying. "Uh-huh. What's really going on, Sweetie?"

"I told you, Angela. I'm fine. Just busy."

Angela stood up and walked to the door. "Whatever you say, Bren." She left and headed for her own office.

Brennan slumped forward, resting her forehead on her desk. She closed her eyes and before she realized it, she was asleep.

Brennan sprang back, her hand gripping her abdomen. She was panting and sweat was pouring down her face. She ground her teeth and let out a muffled whine. She refused to acknowledge the pain, so she ignored it and turned to face her computer. She moved the mouse to wake up the screen and double-clicked on her email.

An hour later, Booth jogged into the lab, whistling, case file in hand. He nodded towards the platform and continued to his wife's office. He strolled in and smiled. "Bones, we've got a ca—." He stared at the empty desk and his brow furrowed. Spinning around, he was about to head back out into the lab when he caught a glimpse of his partner curled up on the couch. She was shivering and a trashcan was strategically placed close by. He dropped the folder and rushed over to her. "Bones?" He knelt down and felt her forehead. She didn't seem feverish, but she was pale and sweaty. "What's wrong?"

Brennan struggled to sit up, swallowing hard and breathing out through her nose, in attempt to settle her stomach. "I'm fine. We have a case?"

Booth shook his head. "No, _we _don't have anything. What's wrong? And don't lie to me, Bones."

She tossed the blanket off of her and attempted to stand up, but he pushed her back down. "It's nothing, Booth. Do we have to go recover the body or is it already on its way to the lab? What's the nature of the find?"

"Forget the damn case, Bones. I'm taking you home."

Brennan pushed him away as she stood up, making her way to her desk. "I'm fine. I'm feeling better now."

"Damn it, Bones!"

She spun around at his tone and froze. He was seething, but at the same time, he sounded genuinely concerned for her wellbeing. "I'm just dealing with normal pregnancy symptoms, Booth. There's nothing to be concerned about. I promise. I'm fine." She paused. "Now, will you please tell me about the case?"

He deflated. "You're sure?"

She nodded. "Yes." She smiled and walked over to him, placing her hand on his forearm. "I'm fine."

Booth nodded and reached down to pick up the manila folder he dropped earlier. "Body found in a dumpster behind a Chinese restaurant. The body _and _the dumpster are on its way to the lab."

She took the file and flipped through it. "You've already got an ID?"

"Wallet was found in his back pocket."

She suddenly leaned forward and gasped, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Bones?"

She recovered quickly and returned to studying the little bit of information they had on the case. "When should we expect the body?"

"What was that?"

She looked up at him. "What was what?"

"_That? _Whatever you just did?"

"It was nothing. Bear kicked my kidney, is all." She stood up and headed for the lab, intent on telling the team they had a case. She suppressed a moan and leaned against the doorframe.

"Do you expect me to ignore _that_ too? Bones, you're having contractions, aren't you? How long has this been going on?" He paused. "Don't you dare lie to me."

She sighed, turning to face him. "Six hours."

"SIX!"

"Shh, Booth. It's nothing."

"Nothing? Bones, you're 30 weeks pregnant. If you're having contractions, we need to go to the hospital. Now. Let's go." He practically dragged her out of the office.

She jerked away. "Would you calm down?"

"Would you _freak out_ a little?" He countered. "I know you're scared, but pretending you're not having contractions isn't going to change anything. Forget the case. I need to get you to the hospital. We need to call Max and see if he can watch Christine when she gets home from school.

She sighed. "I _am_ scared."

He kissed the side of her head, his arm around her shoulders as they walked to the exit. "I know. Me too. Everything's going to be okay, though."

She patted his stomach. "Trust the gut, correct?"

He winked. "You know it, Baby." He laughed, despite the seriousness of the situation.

* * *

Brennan's water had broken while Booth was parking the car; neither could ignore what was happening anymore and both were freaking out (internally). By the time, she was admitted and checked by the on-call OB/GYN, Dr. Riley, things went from bad to worse. The doctor concluded that her labor was too far advanced for him to employ any measures to try and stop it.

When Dr. Tinkham arrived, she confirmed Riley's conclusion. "We'll closely monitor the babies' vitals over the next few hours and keep a close eye on yours as well. At this point, both babies' heartbeats are strong. Neither baby appears to be in distress. I'll be back in an hour. If you need me for any reason, just have a nurse page me. Try and relax. Preemies born at 30 weeks have about a 90-95% chance of survival. Our NICU is one of the best in the country. Your little ones are in good hands." With that, the doctor made her way out of the room, leaving Booth and Brennan to mull over the information they just received.

Booth reached for her hand, glad she didn't pull away, and smiled. "It's going to be okay. You heard Dr. Tinkham. 90-95% chance. That's almost 100%. Plus, the babies are strong; they're fighters." He leaned over and gave her a small kiss, letting his lips linger against hers for a second or two longer before breaking away. He settled back in his chair and slumped forward a little. As he tried to reassure Brennan that the babies were going to be okay, he couldn't help but feel guilty. He was an idiot. What husband takes their seven-month pregnant wife camping? He could kick himself for suggesting that.

Brennan hugged her belly, careful to avoid the wires, and closed her eyes. She could feel Blue wiggling around in there and Bear was lightly tapping against her arm. At the moment, they were doing okay. Despite that fact, a single tear slipped through her lashes, followed by a couple more. Without her permission, a torrent of salty tears was released. Her shoulders shook, she hiccupped occasionally, and a few sobs broke free. Her heart rate was rising and her mind was working overtime. Images of the babies' boney little bodies being held up by the doctor as they were delivered and of the babies in their incubators, hooked up to breathing machines and heart monitors assaulted her. She shook her head when the mental pictures transformed from upsetting to terrifying. Though the visuals disappeared, the thoughts did not.

"Bones."

Tiny coffins. Tiny headstones.

"Bones."

Baby clothes never worn—

"Bones."

Hanging in the closet, gathering dust, in a nursery never used.

"Bones!"

Booth's voice finally registered and she blinked, staring at him.

"Breathe."

She swallowed and nodded. "I'm okay." She swiped a hand across her face, clearing away the tears. "I'm okay." She grabbed one of his hands and then the other, placing them over either side of her exposed belly. "They're moving."

"See? Fighters."

"Booth?"

The way she said his name, he just knew she was about to read his mind and metaphorically slap some sense into him. He nodded and waited for her to speak.

She was quiet for a minute or two before she licked her bottom lip and cleared her throat. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it and gritted her teeth, as a contraction washed over her. Exhaling, she said, "This is not your fault."

"But—."

She shook her head. "No. I enjoyed our camping trip. It was good. I—we needed to get away for a few days. Despite all the activities, I hadn't been that relaxed in a long time. I felt like I could breathe and enjoy us—you and me, our family—for the first time. I loved seeing Parker and getting to see him and Christine together. I do not regret going, so you should not regret suggesting it."

"But we could have just taken the weekend off, unplugged our phones, and stayed at home."

She shook her head. "No! Stop it!" She paused. "It's not your fault. No, it's not yours," her voice dropped, "it's mine."

Shocked out of his self-pity, he stared at her. "What?"

"Something in _me_ caused this to happen. Something I _did _or _didn't _do."

He shook his head. "No, no, no, Bones." He stood and resisted the urge to climb into bed with her. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it, rubbing his thumb against the back of it. "You're perfect, Bones. These babies are so incredibly lucky to have you as their mom." He paused. "You remember when we first suspected you were pregnant? The doctor told us it was a false positive. That those sometimes happen. You didn't believe her. You _knew_ you were pregnant despite what that doctor told us. You've done nothing but believe in them since day one. Believe in them now. Believe that they're going to be okay. Believe that they just wanted to get the Hell out of there as fast as possible so they could meet the amazing woman they get to call Mom for the rest of their lives." He let out a breath and collapsed into the chair.

"Statistically, the babies will do well in the NICU, but there's still risk involved. This shouldn't be happening."

He smiled sadly. "I have to believe they're going to be okay because the alternative is—." He let his voice fade, cutting off the last part of his sentence on purpose.

She didn't ask him to continue; it wasn't necessary.

He squeezed her hand and leaned back in his seat. "Get some rest, Bones. It's going to be a long day." At her skeptical look, he laughed. "_Try _and get some sleep. Those babies need you strong."

She nodded. Sleep was unlikely, what with the contractions, the stress of the whole situation, and the overall feeling of uncomfortableness she was experiencing, but she was exhausted. It wouldn't hurt to try and relax until the doctor returned to reexamine her. She stretched, slid an arm under her pillow, and closed her eyes. Just before she drifted off, she felt Booth brush a fingertip across her cheek, wiping away the silent tears that fell.

* * *

Brennan was still dozing a half hour later when she suddenly straightened and opened her eyes. She curled her legs back up and moaned, clutching at the sheet. Seventy seconds later, she exhaled and looked at Booth through bleary eyes; she was still hazy from sleep and the fleeting contraction. "Hi."

Booth rolled his shoulders and smiled at her. "Hey." He tapped his watch. "Forty."

She raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

"The time between your last two contractions." He paused. "This one lasted longer." He had been watching her closely, taking note of her contractions as she slept. Dr. Tinkham had stuck her head in briefly ten minutes ago and suggested he do that to keep his mind from wandering. "Should I page Dr. Tinkham?"

"I'm fine, Booth." She started to get up and he quickly got to his feet.

"What are you doing?"

"I have to use the restroom. Do you have a problem with that? Would you rather me urinate in this bed?" she challenged, her arms crossed across her chest

He shook his head and pushed his chair back. He offered his hand and she took it, her other hand supporting her belly.

She unhooked herself from the monitors and crossed the room.

He settled back in his seat and picked up the magazine he was flipping through before she woke up.

"Booth!"

He dropped the magazine on the floor at the muffled cry and shot up from his chair, nearly knocking it over in his haste to reach the bathroom. He knocked out of habit before he came to his senses and just threw open the door, barreling inside, looking frantically back and forth for his wife. He found her crouched over the toilet, her eyes wide, her face paled. "What's wrong?"

"I—." She grimaced, holding tightly to the handrails and bending her knees a little more. "The babies are coming," she whispered, out of breath.

He shook his head and rushed to her side. "C'mon. Let's get you back in bed."

"I don't think—Booth, they're coming _now._"

"What? No—." He looked around. "_Here?"_

She nodded, shifting her weight slightly.

Not wanting to deliver the babies on the bathroom floor, he pulled her hands off the rails and looped his arm around her hips. She protested, but he managed to get her back in bed, without incident. Settling her there, he hastily kissed the top of her head and ran out into the hallway. "We need some help in here. Someone page Dr. Tinkham!"

"Whoa, I'm here. What's going on, Mr. Booth. Is everything okay?" Dr. Tinkham appeared from around the corner. She had been headed there anyway when she heard the agent's pleas.

He shook his head and motioned for her to follow him. "Bones says the babies are coming now. Like right now."

"Okay, let's see." Dr. Tinkham approached the bed and she could clearly see that Brennan was in distress. She snapped a pair of gloves in place and examined the anthropologist. "I know it's tempting, Temperance, but please don't push right now." She dropped the sheet and ripped off her gloves. "Just relax." She left the room for a brief moment and returned with a team of nurses. "We have a delivery room set up for you and the NICU team is ready to go."

"Dr. Tinkham," Brennan groaned, curling her body into a ball. The pressure was unbearable and she felt like she was going to be sick.

"Let's move people." Dr. Tinkham shouted and it wasn't long before Brennan was being wheeled out of the room.

* * *

Things went quickly from there. Within thirty minutes, Baby A was close to making her debut into the world. "This is it, Temperance. One more push," Dr. Tinkham encouraged.

Booth squeezed Brennan's hand and nodded. "C'mon, Bones."

Brennan was exhausted. The thought of having to do this all over again in a few short minutes only made her more exhausted. She panted and squeezed his hand back. Less than a minute later, a small cry sounded in the room. She sank back into the pillows and closed her eyes. She did it. One down. One to go.

Booth gasped and nudged Brennan. "She's beautiful." He kissed her head and sat on the edge of the bed. "Dark hair, Bones. She's got dark hair and a lot of it!"

Despite her exhaustion, she couldn't help but laugh at his giddiness. "She?"

"It's a girl," Dr. Tinkham announced showing off the baby briefly before handing her off to the team of awaiting nurses. "Alright, Temperance, are you ready? We've got a little boy to deliver." She got back into position at the foot of the bed.

Booth got up and grabbed Brennan's hand again. "You can do this."

"Temperance?" Dr. Tinkham glanced at the monitor and stood up, approaching the machine and taking a closer look.

Alarmed, Booth dropped Brennan's hand and started walking towards the OB/GYN. "What's wrong? Is he okay? Dr. Tinkham?"

Brennan opened her eyes and turned her focus to her doctor, suddenly full of energy. "Is something wrong with the baby?"

Dr. Tinkham blinked and shook her head. "This is odd."

"Someone better tell us what the Hell is going on right now," Booth demanded, his heart racing.

Dr. Tinkham looked between the pair and cleared her throat. "Temperance, your contractions seem to have stopped."

Brennan blinked and Booth shook his head. "What?" They voiced at the same time.

Dr. Tinkham, wanting to be sure the lack of activity wasn't due to an unconnected wire, checked Brennan over carefully, examining the connections. Nodding, she turned back to the machine and checked the readout once again. Still nothing. She motioned for one of the nurses to bring over the ultrasound machine while she remained silent. She didn't want to give Booth and Brennan any information until she had all the facts.

Booth absently brushed some hair out of Brennan's eyes and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze.

Brennan closed her eyes tight. She could feel the baby flip and push lightly against her abdomen as he changed positions. His movements were reassuring.

Dr. Tinkham guided the transducer across Brennan's belly, her eyes trained on the grainy, black and white image on the screen. She was most concerned with the level of amniotic fluid and the baby's heartbeat. "Okay, Temperance. You have two options. The first is, I give you some medication to induce labor and we proceed from there."

"And the second?" Booth asked; Brennan was too preoccupied with their son's movements to pay attention to the conversation.

"And the second is, we transfer Temperance back to her room and let Baby B develop in utero, preferably until his original due date."

Booth sank onto the edge of the bed again and squeezed Brennan's hand tighter. "I—how—is that safe?"

"Baby B's heartrate is normal and his amniotic sac is intact; his fluid levels are good. Temperance will be in the hospital until she delivers, so I can more easily monitor her and the baby as the pregnancy progresses, but neither she nor the baby are at risk, at the moment, if we continue the pregnancy as planned."

Booth ran a hand through his hair and lightly squeezed Brennan's fingers. "Bones, um, I don't know what to do."

Brennan, feeling the pressure, broke out of her daze and stared at Booth. "About what?"

"Were you even listening?"

Brennan shook her head. "No. He's moving." She guided their joined hands to her stomach.

Booth smiled and turned back to the doctor, suddenly clear. "I—I think we're going with option number two. It's—he'll have a better chance, right?"

Dr. Tinkham nodded. "Even an extra day or two in the womb can substantially improve his chances of survival and decrease the odds of him suffering from life-altering complications."

Booth refocused on Brennan and explained the two options as best as he could. Trying to lighten the mood, he said, "How cool is this, Bones? The twins might end up having different birthdays!"

Ignoring him, Brennan asked, "How is—is Blue okay?"

As she spoke, Dr. Tinkham powered down the ultrasound machine. "I haven't had a chance to check up on the NICU team, but once we get you back to your room, I'll get on that."

Brennan nodded. "What do you recommend, Dr. Tinkham?"

"It's not my place, Temperance. This is your decision."

"I am asking for your professional opinion."

Dr. Tinkham nodded. "Fair enough. I'll be honest, this is a first for me, but professionally, I would recommend giving Baby B the best chance possible and that is letting him remain in utero for as long as we can. Even delaying his birth for a week, if that's all we get, is huge."

Brennan nodded. "Thank you." With a decision made, she leaned back and shut her eyes, focusing once again on Bear's kicking, which started up again shortly after Dr. Tinkham began speaking.

* * *

The next half hour passed in a blur. Brennan was transferred back to her room and was resting, while Booth left to check on Blue. He had convinced her to stay put, promising to give her every single detail of their baby girl when he returned. She was exhausted and not just physically, either. She was still trying to wrap her brain around the fact that their son was still in her womb, while their daughter was fighting for her life in the NICU. That concept was not in any of the pregnancy books she read. Nothing had prepared her for this.


	25. Chapter 25

**_Hey look, a timely update! Enjoy..._**

* * *

Booth stood just outside the NICU, frozen in place. He stared down at his hands as he twisted his ring around his finger, thinking about a comment Dr. Tinkham made earlier. He had a hard time swallowing the fact that his baby daughter could wear his wedding band as a bracelet. He closed his eyes and stuffed one hand into his pocket, finding his poker chip and fiddling with it while he tried to even his breathing and calm his heartrate. He told himself that in a minute or two, he'd go in.

Dr. Tinkham approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump. She smiled at him. "Sorry to startle you, Seeley. I just wanted to tell you that she's all settled. You can go see her now."

He nodded, but made no move towards the door. "Uh, thanks."

"When you're ready," she added.

He nodded again. "How is she?"

"Your little one is a trooper. She's a cutie, too."

He smiled. "So she's doing okay?"

"She's doing great, Seeley, but it's been less than an hour. We're running blood and urine tests now, her breathing and heartrate are being monitored, and she's getting IV fluids. Good news is she's breathing on her own. Her O2 levels are a little low, so she is getting some extra oxygen through a nasal cannula. We've inserted a tube through her nose, which will be used for feedings until she's ready for the bottle. Overall, you have a healthy, 2 pound-10 ounce, 16.5-inch baby girl. Congratulations."

He swallowed.

"Do you and your wife have a name for her?" She laughed. "Besides Blue, I mean?"

He cracked a genuine smile. "Kyla," he whispered. "Kyla Louise."

"She's a beautiful little girl." She paused. "Well, I have some patients I need to check on. I'll swing by Temperance's hospital room later." She started to walk away, but Booth stopped her.

"Wait, uh, Dr. Tinkham, how long is Blue going to have to stay in the NICU?"

"I wish I could give you a specific answer, which I'm sure is what you're looking for, Seeley, but I can't; it's just too soon to tell. In order to be discharged, Kyla needs to be able to maintain her temperature while in an open crib and she should be feeding from a bottle well enough that she's gaining weight steadily. We'd also like her to be able to breathe on her own without any respiratory support."

He nodded; he wasn't expecting a specific answer, though that _was_ what he wanted to hear. "I understand."

"Just enjoy your baby girl. She'll reach those milestones and be on her way home in no time."

He sighed. "Thanks, Dr. Tinkham."

"You're welcome, Seeley." With that, she left him there at the entrance and walked off in the direction of the elevators.

* * *

Booth was feeling a bit better after talking to Brennan's doctor. At least now he wasn't completely in the dark about Blue. The next step was to walk through those doors and finally meet his baby girl. He took a deep breath, exhaling as he entered the NICU. He stopped just inside and looked around. He was surprised to see that this particular unit was made up of several private rooms, rather than set up like a nursery. In the middle, there was common area with couches and coffee tables. As this was his first time visiting, he wasn't surprised he was stopped and asked for his ID. He signed in, showed the nurse what she needed to see, and filled out some paperwork, detailing who was allowed to visit Blue while she was there. With that out of the way, he washed his hands thoroughly and returned to the nurses' station. "Excuse me?"

A different woman then who he had dealt with minutes earlier looked up from her computer screen and smiled at Booth. She removed her glasses, letting them hang around her neck by a bejeweled chain, and tucked a piece of her graying blonde hair behind her ear. "Can I help you, sir?"

He nodded and glanced at her nametag briefly. "Good afternoon, Carla. I hope you can help me." Despite his mood, his charm smile was firmly in place. "I'm looking for my daughter. She was just brought up here forty-five minutes ago." He paused. "Her last name is Booth."

Carla nodded and consulted her computer. "She's in room 206." With a sharpie, she circled the room on a laminated map and handed it to him. "Her room is around the corner, third room on the left."

"Thanks." He followed Carla's directions and soon he was standing in front of Blue's room.

* * *

Booth knocked and pulled the door open. He stepped inside and let the door shut softly behind him as he took in his surroundings. There were monitors set up, an incubator in the middle, and a sitting area with a coffee table, two high-back chairs, and what looked to be a pull-out sofa. A nurse was standing near the incubator, adjusting Blue's IV bag and singing softly to the baby. He couldn't make out the lyrics and didn't recognize the tune, but he smiled. "Hello?"

The nurse jumped and turned to face to Booth, her cheeks reddening. "I didn't hear you come in. Are you here to visit this little peanut?"

He nodded. "I'm her father. Seeley Booth."

"I'm Nancy." She laughed. "Are you going to come say hi? She won't bite. Not yet anyway."

He cautiously walked over to the incubator, both excited and terrified to meet Blue. He closed his eyes and let out a breath. He slowly blinked and glanced down. The first things he noticed were all the tubes and wires connected to her. The second thing was how small and fragile she looked lying there. He let his eyes wander to the various machines surrounding the incubator.

"Don't focus on the machines or the wires and tubes. We'll worry about those. You just focus on your baby girl," Nancy said.

He blinked, casting his eyes back down to Blue.

"You can touch her. It's okay."

He nodded and slipped his hand inside. He began by stroking her hand with his thumb, but as he felt her respond to his touch, he grew more confident and after a few minutes, he picked up her hand and held it. He smiled when she wrapped her hand around the tip of his index finger. "Hey, there, Blue, it's Daddy." He watched her chest collapse and expand as she struggled to breathe and quickly looked away, focusing on her legs.

Blue stretched her legs out and her right foot twitched.

He smiled and looked back at her face. He slid his free hand in and touched the wisps of dark hair poking out from beneath her pink cap. Moving his fingers down, he brushed the pad of his thumb across her cheek and felt her grip tighten around his thumb. "Hang in there, Blue. We—your mom and I—love you." He continued to hold her hand and stare down at her, memorizing everything. His head popped up when he heard a beep from the monitor, his heart racing.

"Don't worry about that. It's just a warning beep," Nancy reassured him.

"Is she doing okay?"

Nancy nodded. "So far, so good." She paused. "What's her name?"

"Kyla Louise Booth," he answered, his focus still on Blue. He couldn't stop staring at her. It still didn't seem real that she was here.

"Fitting."

"Excuse me?"

"Her name, it means Lovely Warrior." Nancy smiled. "How long will you be visiting?"

He looked up momentarily and then went back to staring at Blue. "Uh, I don't know. A while, I guess. I'll be back later, too, probably, with my wife."

"I'll have to meet her another time, then, unless you plan on stopping by before 6:30."

"It depends on her. Things are complicated." He left it at that and set Blue's hand back down at her side.

Blue curled her hand into a fist and yawned.

"Mommy can't wait to meet you, sweetheart, but she's resting right now. Hopefully, she'll be up to seeing you later. Today's been pretty crazy, Blue. Things happened so fast; there was nothing we could do." He paused and brought over the rocking chair. He situated it facing the incubator and sank down into it. He shifted and leaned back into the pale green cushion. Closing his eyes briefly, he opened them and refocused on Blue.

Nancy noted a few more things in Kyla's chart before leaving the room, her departure unnoticed by Booth.

He sprang up the second he heard Blue cry and looked down at her. He saw her face crumple and her lower lip quiver as rapid, low-pitched cries erupted from her small body. He slipped his hand inside and gently stroked her belly. "Shhh, Blue, it's okay. Daddy's here. Shhh." He paused. "Blue, honey, you have to calm down." He didn't completely understand the monitors, but he could hear the beeping. "C'mon, baby."

The door opened and the room filled quickly with a team of nurses. Booth was pushed away, forced to just stand there, helplessly. He couldn't see anything and all the voices melded together to the point where he couldn't hear or understand anything that was being said. Everything had been fine. How had things changed so quickly?


	26. Chapter 26

Brennan groaned and let out a breath, rolling over. She shifted on the mattress and turned around to fluff up the stack of pillows behind her. After pushing her hair out of her face for the umpteenth time, she grunted. She pulled out the hair-tie and redid the messy bun. She wanted a shower, her skin still sticky and her hair both greasy and crunchy with dried sweat, but she didn't have the energy. If only she could sleep. Instead of a much needed nap, which was obviously not happening, she grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand and decided to make a few necessary calls. She thought about sending a group text, it would be easier than explaining the whole situation over and over again, but she knew that wouldn't go over so well with her father or her best friend, especially. Sighing, she dialed the phone, not even noticing the missed calls, three of which were from Angela, the other two from Cam.

Angela picked up on the second ring. "Bren?"

**"**Hello, Angela."

"Oh, t_hank God. What's going on? Is everything okay? I saw you and Booth leaving earlier. I thought you might have gone to lunch, but you didn't come back. You weren't answering your phone. I tried to call Booth, too, but his phone went straight to voicemail. Cam stopped in to say there was a case before she left for the crime scene and I relaxed a bit. I figured you two were already there, but when Cam came back and told me you guys weren't there, I almost called the police to report you guys missing. You scared me to death!"_

Brennan blinked. _Oops. _Understandably, neither she nor Booth had remembered to tell anyone what was going on before they left for the hospital. "I apologize, Angela."

_"I thought you got kidnapped_ or_ you were in an accident. I've been worried about you since this morning and your sudden disappearance didn't help."_

"I didn't mean to worry you. I was preoccupied."

_"So what the Hell is going on? Where are you?"_

"I'm in the hospital—."

_"WHAT?"_

Brennan exhaled. Sometimes Angela was exhausting. "I'm okay. By the time Booth came by with the case, I wasn't feeling well at all. When I informed him I was in labor, he insisted we go to the hospital."

_"Labor? You're only 30 weeks pregnant."_

"I'm well aware of how far along I am."

_"What did your doctor say? Did she put you on bedrest?"_

"Angela—."

_"Oh, God, they couldn't stop the contractions, could they?"_

Brennan shook her head. "No, not entirely."

_"What does that mean? Not entirely? I don't understand, Sweetie."_

Brennan could hear rustling and the jingling of keys in the background, followed by the click-clacking of high heels against the tiled floor. "You have a niece, Angela." She paused. "Angela? Hello?" She pulled the phone away to check that she didn't get disconnected. "Hello? Are you there?"

_"Sorry, sorry. I'm here. What did you just say? It sounded like you said I have a niece."_

"It sounded like that because that's what I said, Angela." Brennan paused. "She was born at 11:37 this morning. She's in the NICU; Booth's with her now."

_"Oh my God." _There was a pause. _"Wait, what about my nephew? Did you mention him and I just missed it?"_

"He's—."

_"Is he okay, Sweetie?"_

Brennan sighed. "He's fine, Angela, but something happened. There was a complication during delivery and he—." She heard a sharp intake a breath on the other side of the line.

_"I'm already on my way."_

"Angela, he's fine."

_"You're not making any sense to me, Bren. Your tone of voice and the words you're using make me think something horrible happened to my nephew, but you keep saying he's fine. So please just tell me what happened. What kind of complication? Did you have to have an emergency C-Section? Was his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck? Just tell me!"_

Brennan shook her head. "I was getting to that, Angela, but you keep interrupting me."

"_Sorry. You're just making me nervous."_

Brennan nodded. "That was not my intention." She paused. "As I was saying, Bear is fine. After Blue was born, my contractions stopped. Dr. Tinkham gave us two options and Booth and I decided not to induce labor. I didn't mention your nephew because he's not born yet, Angela. I'm still pregnant." She heard distant beeping in the background and Angela cursing under her breath.

_"Jackass!" _There was a long pause and some heavy breathing._ "I'm sorry. I had to pull over because I obviously can't focus on two things at once. I'm losing my mind. I swear you just said you're still pregnant."_

"I did and I am."

_"That's impossible. You just told me I have a niece."_

"I did and you do."

_"You're giving me a headache. Which is it? I have a niece or you're still pregnant."_

"Both," Brennan answered honestly.

_"I still don't get it."_

"I'm not quite sure I understand it fully myself, Angela."

_"So you're really still pregnant? My nephew isn't here yet?"_

"Yes, I'm still pregnant. Very pregnant." Brennan paused. "And yes, Bear isn't born yet."

_"This is crazy."_

"This situation will allow Bear more time to develop."

_"I'm not saying it's a bad thing; it's just insane, Bren. I mean, think about it. You're technically postpartum, but you're still pregnant. And my niece and nephew are twins, but they're going to have different birthdays. Can you even consider them twins? I'm so confused."_

"They were conceived at the same time, Angela, so yes, they are still twins."

_"What about birthday parties? Are you going to have separate parties? Are you going to celebrate my niece's birthday today and my nephew's the day he's born? Or are you just going to pick one of those days and celebrate each of their births?"_

"Angela, Booth and I have more important things to worry about right now than when we're going to celebrate their birthdays."

"_Right, of course. _I'm_ just trying to understand what's going on. What happens now?"_

"Dr. Tinkham put me on bedrest until Bear is born. When that will be, I don't know. I was given steroids to help his lungs develop in case I, once again, go into labor prematurely or his condition changes and I need to be induced early."

_"But he's okay?"_

"Currently, yes. His amniotic sac is intact and his fluid levels are normal. His heartrate is, as well. Dr. Tinkham estimates he's 3 pounds and 16.7 inches long and he's, as far as she can tell, developing normally."

_"Give me a minute. I'm still here. I just need to get back on the highway."_

"Okay."

After a brief pause, Angela said, _"I'm back. Now what is going on with my niece? And I still don't know her name, Sweetie."_

Brennan smiled. No one but she and Booth knew the twins' names; they agreed to keep them a secret until after they were born. "Kyla Louise Booth." She paused. "I don't know how she's doing, Angela." She swallowed. "She's so small."

_"Oh, Sweetie. I'm sure she's okay. I mean, someone would come tell you if she wasn't."_

Her phone beeped, signaling she had another call. She pulled it away from her ear and her heartrate increased as Booth's name flashed on the screen. "Angela, I have to go. Booth's," her voice shook, "Booth's calling." Before the artist could say anything, Brennan switched calls. "Booth? What's wrong? Is Blue okay?"

_ "Something's wrong, Bones." _His voice cracked.

"Booth, what is going on? I'm coming up there." She kicked off the sheets and slowly sat up. She was sore and stiff, but she needed to get out of this bed; she needed to get to her daughter.

_"She stopped breathing. Her heartrate dropped. That's all I know. They kicked me out. Damn it. I don't know what's going on. I tried to get back in the room, but they won't let me in!" _

"Where are you?"

_"I'm standing outside her room."_

"Stay there. Don't move."

_"Bones, no."_

Brennan shook her head and unhooked herself from the various wires and tubes. She wobbled a bit when she stood up, still weak from the delivery, on top of the fact that her center of gravity had shifted due to the pregnancy. She made her way out of the room, attracting the attention of every nurse on the floor. She ignored them and continued to the elevator. Thankfully, it opened a second later and she disappeared inside.

* * *

Booth paced back and forth in front of Blue's hospital room. He ignored the two security guards that stood nearby watching him. He had gotten a bit loud and disruptive, to say the least, and a concerned nurse had called security. For fear of being kicked out, he quieted down and channeled all his energy into pacing.

Knowing Brennan would be there any minute and was likely to cause a scene of her own trying to get answers, he walked out into the common area to wait for her arrival.

Sure enough, five minutes later, Brennan came barreling into the NICU, pausing to look around.

"Bones," he called out to her as he approached.

She smiled and closed the gap between them, throwing her arms around him immediately. The hug was a bit awkward due to her swollen abdomen, but it wasn't any less comforting. "Booth," she breathed out against his shoulder. She stepped back, but took his hand, not wanting to completely break all contact. "What happened?"

He sighed, giving their entwined hands a squeeze. "I don't know. Blue just started crying. The machines were going crazy and I was trying to calm her down. Nothing was working and then three nurses rushed in and I was pushed back so they could work on her. They eventually kicked me out. A nurse came out a few minutes ago and told me Blue wasn't breathing and that her heartrate was really low. She used some fancy words. Um, alopecia and breakycardimum, I think, is what she said."

"Apnea and bradycardia, Booth," she automatically corrected.

He nodded. "Yeah, that."

She swallowed. "What room is she in?"

"206." He smiled.

"Newborn skeletons are actually comprised of close to 300 bones, Booth, though I suppose it is a little amusing." She shifted her weight from one hip to the other and winced.

He watched her closely, noticing the tremor. "C'mon, let's go sit down on the couch. You should be resting, Bones."

She didn't protest, allowing him to guide her over to the couches. "I couldn't—I needed to see her, Booth. I needed to make sure she was okay."

"I wasn't—Bones, I know. I knew that the second I called you."

She leaned into him as they sat on the couch and hooked her arm through his. With her free hand, she began to rub rhythmic circles on her belly. As one twin's life hung in the balance, she relished in the feel of the other responding to her caresses.

He dipped his head and kissed her hair. "She's going to be okay. She's our little warrior, remember? Our little warrior princess."

She just nodded in response.

Not wanting to dwell on his daughter's fate, he changed the subject. "Did you call Max?"

She shook her head. "I—I didn't get the chance. I was talking to Angela when you called."

"Oh. So she knows?"

"She's on her way. She should be here any minute. Not _here_, but at the hospital," she clarified. "I need to call Cam, as well. I suppose now is the time to request my maternity leave."

"Ya think, Bones?"

She shrugged. "Yes. Since Dr. Tinkham ordered bedrest, I will not be able to return to work for some time." She paused. "Oh, you knew that already, didn't you? You were just being sarcastic."

"Seeley?"

He turned his head and immediately stood up, pulling Brennan up with him. Keeping an arm around her waist to support her, he nodded at Nancy. "What—how is she?"

Nancy motioned for them to sit and once they were settled back on the couch, she sat across from them on the coffee table. "You must be Seeley's wife."

Brennan nodded. "And Kyla's mother."

"Right. I'm Nancy, one of your daughter's nurses." Nancy smiled. "Kyla's stable."

Booth sighed. "But?"

"_But_ the prolonged episode took a lot out of her and we were having some difficulty getting her to start breathing on her own again. As a team, we made the decision to place her on a ventilator, at least until she's gained her strength back. Her oxygen levels are improving and her heartrate is almost back to normal." Nancy paused. "You two can go in there now."

Booth nearly collapsed. "But she was fine."

Nancy nodded. "Apnea episodes are commonplace around here, Seeley. That doesn't make them any less frightening or worrisome, especially for the loved ones, but we know how to deal with them when they happen. We're all trained to respond quickly and efficiently. Sometimes things don't go as planned, as was the case with Kyla, but the important thing to remember here is that she's stable. I don't foresee her needing to be on the ventilator long, maybe a few hours at most. She's a strong little girl and the fact that she was breathing on her, even for a short time, is amazing and very promising. Hang in there."

Brennan squeezed Booth's hand. "Thank you."

"You can go see her now."

The couple didn't waste another second. They stood and disappeared in the direction of their daughter's room.


	27. Chapter 27

Brennan stood near the incubator, one hand resting on the top, watching her daughter sleep. She was hesitant to do anything else, and for the past half hour, all she did was stand there silently staring at Blue. It wasn't until she felt Booth shift behind her that she even realized he was still in the room. She tore her eyes away from the baby and looked over at her partner. She let out a breath and swallowed. "What did you do?"

Booth raised an eyebrow, clearly not understanding what she meant. "Huh? What did I do when?"

She sighed. "When you met her," her eyes flicked briefly to their daughter, "what did you do? What did you say?"

He smiled. "I held her hand. I talked to her. Told her I loved her. Told her _you_ loved her and couldn't wait to meet her."

She nodded, but stayed still and silent, her focus once again on Blue.

"Bones?"

She turned her head and blinked. "Hmm?"

"Touch her, hold her hand."

"This is ridiculous," she muttered.

He held back a laugh. "No, it's not. I was nervous too; I'm _still _nervous, but she's a lot stronger than she looks. Reminds me of someone else I know." He winked.

"Who?" she asked, completely serious. "Me?"

He smiled at her and nudged her side.

She took one step forward, and after a brief pause, she slid her arm in and lightly brushed the baby's arm with her pinky. She felt the baby twitch in reaction to her touch and when she focused on Blue's face, she let out a relieved gasp when she saw that the newborn's eyes were open. "Hello, Sweetheart," she whispered as she picked up Blue's hand.

Silently, Booth brought over the rocker and guided Brennan into it.

She settled into the chair, careful not to break the connection she had with Blue. Despite her small size, Brennan did have to agree that the newborn was quite strong. She closed her eyes and leaned back. Before she realized it, she was asleep.

Booth grabbed the knit blanket and draped it over her. Not wanting to wake her up, he quietly stepped up to the incubator and smiled down at his daughter. "I'm going to have to get used to that, huh? You scaring me to death?" He laughed. "You're only a few hours old and your brother's not even born yet, but you two are already giving me gray hair."

* * *

Several minutes later, a light tap on the door woke Brennan. She sat up and rubbed her eyes with her free hand. She looked around, confused for a moment, before her vision cleared and she remembered where she was and why.

Booth heard the door open, but didn't turn around at first. He chose to ignore the intrusion and continue his hush conversation with Blue, who had since fallen back to sleep. When he finished, he glanced in the direction of the door and saw Nancy standing there.

Nancy cleared her throat. "Am I interrupting?"

Booth shook his head. "Uh, not really. What's going on?"

"How's Kyla doing?" Nancy asked as she approached the incubator and flipped to a page in the newborn's chart. "Heartrate and blood pressure both look good. O2 levels are normal." She noted a few more things and then began to physically examine Kyla. "I know, honey," she cooed as the baby squirmed, not liking being disturbed.

Booth shifted his weight. "Is something wrong?" he asked, unable to read the expression on the nurse's face.

Nancy shook her head and removed her arms from the incubator. Discarding her gloves, she looked between the pair. "Well, no, but would either of you like to change her diaper?"

"Her diaper?" Booth shook his head. All that worry and that was all? A soiled diaper? He was losing his mind. Blue was driving him crazy. He looked at Brennan and he could tell that she was eager to help. He let her have this one, even though he was dying to do something—anything—besides stand there and just talk to Blue.

Brennan nodded. "Yes."

Nancy smiled. "Fantastic. I have everything right here."

Ignoring her protests, Booth helped Brennan stand and guided her the short distance to where their daughter lay.

Brennan glared at him, but her expression softened immediately as she turned to face Blue. She took a pair of gloves from the supplies Nancy brought into the room and snapped them into place. She slid her arms through the openings in the incubator and reached for Blue's waist. The baby squirmed when Brennan carefully lifted the tabs of the diaper. "It's okay, Sweetheart," she whispered, her hands shaking. With Blue fresh and clean, she reached for a new diaper. She paused for a moment and stared down at it. It was small, which was to be expected, since Blue, herself, was small, but somehow, seeing it, made Brennan's chest constrict. She blinked back tears and shook her head. She needed to focus. Her daughter was lying there, hooked up to a ventilator, and she was fixated on the size of a diaper. She smoothed down the tabs and resituated Blue's clothing. "There." Despite it being only a simple diaper change, something she had done countless times before, she felt closer to Blue, more connected. She lingered near the incubator a little while longer, holding Blue's hand, before stepping back and sitting down in the rocker. "Thank you," she said, addressing Nancy.

Nancy, who was busy scribbling down some notes and collecting the supplies, paused and looked over at Brennan. "I'm not sure why you're thanking me, but you're welcome, Temperance."

"Thank you for allowing me to change her diaper," Brennan elaborated.

Nancy nodded. "You're welcome." She paused. "It's easy to forget up here, but you're her mom and if there's something I can do to make sure you still feel like that despite the circumstances, I will. Changing diapers, well, that's all part of the experience, right?"

Brennan smiled.

Nancy looked over at Booth. "You're just as important, Dad. Don't let Mom have all the fun, okay?" With that, she left them alone again.

* * *

Brennan sighed. "I find I don't want to leave, Booth."

Booth nodded, absently rubbing his hand across her shoulders. "Me either, Bones."

"Booth?"

He looked down at her, a sinking feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. "What is it?"

She swallowed. "You should go home."

He blinked. "What? Are you serious?"

"As much as I would rather you be here with me," she glanced at the incubator, "with us, I cannot be selfish."

"Christine," he breathed.

She nodded. "Yes. We need to keep things as normal as possible for her."

"What are you suggesting?"

"We can't expect my father to put his life on hold for the next month, even though I know he loves Christine very much and enjoys spending time with her. I think it would be best if you went home at four. I suppose some nights you could stay longer and we could have dinner here, the three of us, but our nightly routine shouldn't change just because I was put on hospital bed rest and Blue is in the NICU. I also think you should spend the morning with her. I'll be fine." She looked back at Blue and then placed a hand on her stomach. "We'll be fine."

He leaned over and pressed his lips against hers. He pulled back and smiled. "As much as I don't want to leave you here alone, I agree, but I'm not leaving yet. Not tonight, okay? She'll understand. I need to be here right now."

"Booth—."

He shook his head. "It's the first night, Bones. A lot has happened today. I need to be here." He let out a breath. "The thought of leaving you here alone tonight, after the day we've had—no, I'm staying with you tonight."

"I'll be okay."

"I don't care."

She sighed. "Fine, but we are not going to have this discussion again tomorrow. You're going to leave at four and spend the evening with our daughter. I don't want to see you again until after eleven the following day. Understand?"

He nodded. "Yes, Mom," he muttered.

They stayed in Kyla's room for a while longer and would have stayed even longer, but they were forced out at shift change. They returned to Brennan's room, where they found Angela arguing with a nurse a short distance away.

* * *

**_I would have updated sooner, but I was having some difficulty with this chapter. I went back and forth about whether to skip ahead or pick up right after the last chapter. I'm still not entirely satisfied with how it turned out, but I knew if I didn't post it now, I'd just keep rewriting it and it'd be another month before I get around to updating again._**

**_Anyway, I hope you liked it. Thought you guys deserved a chapter that didn't end in a cliffhanger. Christine gets to meet her little sister in the next chapter ;) Stay tuned._**


	28. Chapter 28

Booth held Christine's hand as the father-daughter duo walked through the halls of the hospital. It had been sixteen days since Brennan gave birth and today was the day that big sister was meeting her baby sister for the first time.

Booth stopped in front of the NICU entrance and knelt down in front of Christine. He took both her hands in his and smiled at her. "Do you remember what mommy and daddy told you about Blue?"

Christine shuffled her feet back and forth on tile floor, tapping together the toes of her pink and white sneakers. She shrugged her shoulders and squeezed Booth's fingers. Nodding, she answered, "LaLa is very small, so I have to be careful when I touch her."

Booth nodded. "And?" he prompted.

"And, and, there's going to be scary wires and tubes stuck to her, but I shouldn't be afraid because they're keeping her safe."

"That's right, Monkey." Booth paused. "And you know your brother's still in mommy's tummy?"

Christine giggled. "Daddy, T is _not_ in mommy's tummy; he's in her uterus."

"Yeah, of course, silly me." Booth stood and let go of one of her hands, turning his body towards the entrance. "Are you ready?

Christine bounced up and down. "I want to see LaLa."

"Now, Christine, these babies are really sick, so you have to be extra quiet and stay right by my side. No running, no screaming, no loud voices, okay?"

Christine nodded. "Yes, Daddy." She paused. "Can we see LaLa now?"

Booth smiled. "Yeah, let's go see your baby sister." Before they entered the NICU, he took a deep breath and exhaled. He had been here every day since Blue was born, but he needed to prepare himself for what he was going to see when he got in there. Despite the progress his baby girl was making, seeing her, still so small and fragile, lying there in her incubator, was difficult. He wanted so desperately to fix things, to make her better, but there wasn't a damn thing he could do; it made him feel completely helpless.

Christine tugged on her father's arm. "Daddy," she whined.

Booth sighed and walked in. After he washed his hands and instructed Christine to do the same, he followed the familiar path to Blue's room.

Christine slowly approached the incubator and rose up slightly on her tippy-toes, her hands pressed against the clear walls of the crib.

Booth stood behind her, watching her watching Blue.

"Hi, LaLa." Christine waved. "I'm your big sister," she whispered, leaning closer. She suddenly turned her head towards Booth. "Can I touch her?"

Booth nodded. "Go ahead, Princess."

Christine stuck her arm in and carefully stroked her sister's little hand. She laughed when Blue gripped her index finger. Several minutes passed and the baby still hadn't let go. "LaLa, I need my finger back, please." She tried to pull her hand away, but stopped when Blue started crying, her chest rising and falling rapidly at the effort it took to expel and breathe in. "Okay, okay, you can have it. Please stop crying." She looked at Booth. "Daddy, help her. Make her stop."

Booth sighed. Now both his girls were upset and he was having horrible flashbacks. He prayed that Blue wouldn't have to go back on the ventilator because those were some of the worst 34 hours of his life. "It's okay, Christine." He slid his hand through the other opening and lightly stroked Blue's wet cheek with his pinky finger. "Shhh, Blue. Daddy's here. It's okay. Shhh," he soothed. "I'm right here, Blue. Calm down, Sweetheart." He continued talking to her, eventually switching gears and telling her the highlights of the baseball game he caught last night, including the fact that the team he was rooting for won. "That's my girl," he said, finally, when the baby quieted down. "Breathe, Blue, breathe. That's it. Shh."

Christine backed away from the incubator, stopping only when she bumped into Booth.

With Blue now calm, Booth turned his focus to Christine. "What's wrong, Monkey?"

Christine crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm gonna ask God for a new sister 'cause LaLa doesn't like me."

Booth shook his head. "Blue loves you, Princess."

"No, she doesn't, Daddy. I made her cry."

"Babies cry, honey." Booth picked her up and carried her over to the padded

rocking chair in the corner of the small area. He sat down, setting her down on his lap, and wrapped his arms around her. "She loves you. She didn't want to let you go."

"Did I hurt her?"

Booth shook his head. "No, no, of course not." He glanced over at the incubator and nudged Christine. "See? Blue's fine."

Christine slipped off his lap and walked back over to the incubator. She looked in and smiled when she saw Kyla stretching.

Booth came up beside her and looked down at Blue. She was getting stronger every time he saw her. She was starting to fill out a little more, though she was still so tiny. She had yet to master her sucking reflex, so she was still being fed through a NasoGastric tube. She was doing amazingly well, according to the nurses, but she had a long way to go.

"Daddy, why can't LaLa come home yet?" Christine asked, her focus on her baby sister unwavering.

Booth sighed. God, how he wished he could take Blue home this second. He hated seeing her like that, lying there in that clear box, hooked up to all those machines monitoring her heartrate, breathing, and temperature, and being fed through a damn tube. He couldn't even hold his baby girl yet and it was killing him. "Because, baby, she's not strong enough yet. She's still too little."

"When can she come home?"

That was a question Booth asked himself constantly. He did his best to answer her, trying to remember what he was told weeks ago. "She can't come home until she's bigger. She has to be able to maintain her temperature on her own and has to be able to feed from a bottle. She's also on oxygen right now. She'll be here for several more weeks, Monkey." That thought alone made him want to cry.

"Oh." Christine reached into the incubator and tickled her sister's belly. The baby twitched and opened her eyes a crack. She tilted her head back and stared up at Booth. "I think I'll keep her."

Booth smiled. "Good." He looked at the clock on the wall and rested a hand on Christine's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "C'mon, Christine. Let's go see Mommy before Grandpa comes and picks you up."

Christine reluctantly said goodbye to Kyla and grabbed Booth's hand.

"Don't worry, Honey, we'll come visit Blue again soon."

"Promise, Daddy?"

He nodded. "I promise."

"Pinky promise?"

He locked his pinky with her outstretched one and smiled. "Is there any other kinda promise?" he whispered.

She shook her head. "Nope."

Once in the hallway, he lifted up an unsuspecting five-year-old and settled her, wiggling and giggling, on his hip. He kissed her cheek and headed in the direction of the elevator, eager to visit with his wife. Hopefully, Brennan was in a better mood than she was earlier.


	29. Chapter 29

_**Let me just say, writer's block is the worst. I wrote and rewrote this chapter at least seven times before I settled on this version, which is why this update is so late. It's 1 AM here in NJ, but I'm posting this now because if I wait until tomorrow, I'll just end up rewriting it again and who knows when I'll get around to finishing/posting it.**_

**_There is a slight time jum_****_p here. It's pretty obvious some time has passed since the last chapter within the first couple of sentences, but in case anyone misses the clue, I thought I'd point it out beforehand to avoid any confusion._**

**_Now on to the story..._**

* * *

Brennan gently rocked back and forth in the chair in Kyla's hospital room, the newborn cradled in her arms. She stroked the back of her daughter's hand and watched as the four-week-old baby fell deeper and deeper into a post-bottle stupor. Kyla's lashes fluttered and she suckled her lips in her sleep.

Brennan adjusted her grip and shifted on the cushion, trying desperately to find a more comfortable position and not wake up the sleeping baby at the same time. Defeated, she let out a breath and did her best to ignore the pressure building in her lower back. She closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them again, she found Kyla staring up at her. She smiled, brushing her thumb across the baby's cheek. "I apologize for waking you, Blue."

Kyla gurgled and yawned, stretching her legs. She curled her hand into a fist and rested it on Brennan's stomach.

"Oof," Brennan grunted as Bear tumbled and kicked against her ribs. "Easy, Bear."

Kyla whined, disliking being disturbed, and squirmed in Brennan's arms.

"It's okay, LuLu," Brennan soothed, adopting the nickname Angela had given the baby girl when she first met her. She shifted again, twisting her torso back and forth and arching her back slightly. "I'm sorry," she said when Kyla voiced her annoyance. It seemed her daughter was not a morning person. She knew she shouldn't, but she just couldn't sit any longer. She scooted to the edge of the rocker and with one arm cradling Kyla closer to her chest, she pushed off the armrest with the other. She steadied herself on the wall and then readjusted her hold on the newborn. She exhaled, feeling a bit of relief from the changed position. Not wanting to give up the connection with Kyla just yet, Brennan paced near the crib, all the while rocking the baby in her arms. She paused briefly, dipped her head, and pressed a kiss to Kyla's forehead. "I love you, Sweetheart." She was just getting ready to place the baby in the crib when she felt her phone vibrate in her pajama pants' pocket.

There was a light knock on the door and then it opened. Natasha, one of Kyla's late night-early morning nurses, poked her head in, followed by the rest of her body. "Just checking to see how you two are doing." Seeing that Brennan was in the process of putting Kyla back in her crib, she approached and reached out for the newborn.

Brennan reluctantly handed Kyla over. With two free hands now, she absently reached behind her and pushed her thumbs into her lower back, massaging the area.

Natasha looked up, catching the movement out of the corner of her eye. "Everything okay?"

Brennan nodded, letting her arms fall to her sides. "Yes, I'm fine. I've spent the last 33 days in a supine position, only getting up in short spurts, and for the last week, I've been spending more than three hours in that chair in half-hour to two-hour stretches, three to four times a day."

"How would you describe the pain?" Natasha pressed.

Brennan shook her head. "I know what you're insinuating. This," she rubbed her stomach, "is not my first pregnancy. I know the difference between labor pains and sore muscles. The pain will ease up as soon as I stretch and take a short walk. A massage will be helpful as well."

Natasha nodded. "I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, just mind your own business. My daughter may be your patient, but I am not."

"Yes, of course." Natasha paused and brushed a piece of her strawberry-blonde hair out of her face. "We didn't discuss Little Ms. Kyla's progress earlier, but you should know that she has officially surpassed the four-pound mark, weighing in at 4 pounds, 4 ounces." She smiled. "She's almost eighteen inches long now and she's doing well in the open crib. She's not quite there yet, but I surmise in the next week or two, we'll be able to discontinue the supplemental tube feedings. As you can see," she pointed to the monitors, "her heartrate is 150 and even with the removal of the nasal cannula, her respiratory rate is holding steady between 50 and 60. Since birth, she's had two cases of constipation, but she's currently having regular bowl movements. Her urine output is in proportion to her fluid intake, as well. Overall, she's doing extremely well."

Brennan nodded and looked down at Kyla, who was wide-awake, her dark blue eyes scanning the room. "Your Daddy will be glad to hear that, LuLu."

Natasha smiled. "Do you have any questions for me?"

Brennan shook her head. "Not at this time."

Natasha nodded. "Your little girl is adorable."

Brennan smiled. "Thank you." She tucked a lock of Kyla's blondish-brown hair underneath her knit cap, brushing her finger against the baby's forehead, the light caress eliciting a twitch from the newborn. She shifted her weight and arched her back again. She hadn't been standing for long, but she could already feel that her feet and ankles were swelling. She needed to get back to her room and lie down, and even though she knew she would be back later, she was hesitant to leave Kyla. "I will be back soon, Sweetheart." She gave the baby a kiss on the cheek and fixed her hat. "Stay strong. I love you." She stayed a little while longer, long enough for Kyla to fall back asleep, before she left the NICU and headed back down to her room.

* * *

Brennan had been back in her room for almost twenty minutes before she thought to return the missed call she ignored while in the NICU visiting Kyla. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell. Surprised to see Booth had called, not from his cell phone but from his office phone, she quickly called him back.

_"'Lo?" _Came his distracted greeting.

"Booth?"

_"Bones! Hey, hi." _

Brennan frowned. "What's wrong?"

_"Nothing. I, uh, I'm not sure when I'll get over to the hospital. I'm kinda dealing with a situation over here."_

"What kind of situation, Booth?"

_"Nothing to worry about, Bones, but the person I trusted to take over my job for a few weeks is a lughead."_

"Are you in danger?"

He laughed. _"No, not at all. Agent Lewis just screwed up some paperwork."_

"How long to do you think you'll—?" Brennan dropped the phone when her back muscles tightened.

_"Bones?"_

Exhaling, she reached for the phone. "I'm here. How long do you think you'll be?"

_"Not sure. I've gotta clean up this mess. Maybe a few hours. I hope I can get out of here by noon."_

"Okay. I'll see you—." This time the spasm was so painful that she almost vomitted. She sputtered and swallowed, leaning back against the pillows. She caught her breath and cleared her throat.

_"Bones? That didn't sound good. Are you okay?" _

She could hear papers shuffling in the background. "I—I'm fine." She winced. "Is there any way you could get out of work earlier, Booth?" she asked after a brief pause.

_"What's going on?" _

"I am not entirely certain, but I believe I'm in labor."

_"Shit," _he said under his breath. _"Uh, yeah, I'll be right there." _He hung up the phone before she had a chance to respond.

She closed her eyes and dropped the phone into her lap. She shifted on the mattress and picked up her cell again, this time to call Dr. Tinkham. After hanging up the phone with her OB/GYN, she rolled onto her side and curled into a ball. It wasn't long before she felt the first true contraction, though she suspected she had been having them all along; they had just been masked by the dull ache in her lower back.

* * *

By the time Booth arrived, Brennan could barely speak, the contractions were just too intense. When Dr. Tinkham showed up a few minutes after Booth, she found her patient pacing the room, the man who loved her practically holding her up.

Dr. Tinkham knocked on the doorframe to get their attention. "Good morning. I would have gotten here sooner, but there's an accident on the main drag. Traffic is backed up." She paused. "Let's get you into bed."

Brennan got into bed as instructed and balled the sheets in her fists.

Booth stood beside her and wiped her forehead with a damp towel.

Dr. Tinkham smiled at him and took her position at the foot of the bed.

Brennan squirmed and moaned, resisting the urge to curl her legs.

Dr. Tinkham lifted the sheet and lifted Brennan's legs, spreading them apart slightly.

Booth set the towel on the bedside table and resting his hand on Brennan's shoulder, he gave it a squeeze. "Well?"

Dr. Tinkham looked up and smiled. "Let's have a baby."

Booth blinked. "What? Are you serious? Now?"

Dr. Tinkham nodded, letting out a soft chuckle. "Yes." She let Brennan know she could relax her legs as she replaced the sheet and tore off her gloves. Tossing them in the biohazard bin as she left the room briefly. When she returned, there were two nurses behind her. "They're getting a birthing room ready for you, Temperance. I'm going to go supervise. I'll see you in a little bit." She walked out into the hallway again, leaving the two nurses in charge of Brennan's transfer.

* * *

Twenty-five minutes later, Brennan was exhausted and sore. Breathing heavy, she was leaning against a stack of fluffed-up pillows with her eyes focused on her perfect newborn son, who was resting on her stomach letting everyone know just how well developed his lungs were despite being born six weeks early. She lifted a shaky hand and caressed his head. She didn't want to let him go. She looked up at Booth and smiled.

Booth leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, his hand on hers as she cradled their son. "He's perfect."

Their moment was interrupted by Dr. Tinkham's voice. "I'm sorry, but the NICU team has to take him now."

Brennan nodded and reluctantly let one of the nurses take Bear from her arms.

Booth placed a kiss on the top of his son's head as the baby was passed from Brennan to the nurse. "We'll see you later, Little Man."

"You're all set. Michael and Hector are going to get you back to your room. I'll come check on you later this afternoon. Get some rest. Your little boy is in good hands. He's doing great. Delaying his birth was the right choice. Not only did it give him more time to develop, but it allowed us time to try and prepare his little body for the worst case scenario."

"Thank you," Brennan whispered.

"You're welcome and congratulations, you two." Dr. Tinkham turned and left the room.

Booth stood up from his perch on the side of her bed and kissed her quickly on the lips. "You'll be okay if I go make a few phone calls?"

Brennan nodded, waving him off. "Yes, I'll be fine."

"Okay." Booth kissed her again. "We'll probably be front page news tomorrow. Who am I kidding? It's probably already online somewhere. It's not every day someone has twins 33 days apart! I better go and make those calls quickly before our friends find out Bear was born by checking their emails." He laughed. "I'll meet you back in your room. Try and rest, okay? I'll stop by the NICU and check on the babies if you want."

Brennan nodded. "Yes."

He smiled and hurried to the door. He stopped and turned to Michael and Hector, narrowing his eyes at the two young men. "You bring her straight to her room. No detours. Go it?"

The two men swallowed and nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good." Booth looked behind them, smiling at Brennan. "I'll see you soon, Bones."

Brennan rolled her eyes. "That wasn't necessary, Booth."

Booth shrugged and left the room, cell phone already in hand.


	30. Chapter 30

_**I thought last chapter was difficult to write, but this one was giving me so much trouble. I finished it, FINALLY. **_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

Brennan was given her discharge papers on Friday, two days after giving birth to Bear and 35 days after having Blue. She was more than ready to leave. Taking a bath in her own tub and sleeping in her own bed ranked highest amongst the things she was looking forward to doing. She was most excited about just being home; being able to spend time with Booth and Christine, uninterrupted, was a bonus.

She was currently in her hospital room, gathering her belongings and the many flowers, cards, and gifts she received during her month-long stay. Booth was spending a few hours with Christine before the two of them swung by to take her home. He wasn't expected for another hour, but she didn't mind. She planned on visiting the twins in the NICU while she waited for him.

She sighed as she continued to fold and pack up her clothes. Though she had spent the last 35 days preparing herself for it, the fact that she was going home without her babies was still upsetting. Most new parents dreaded the exhaustion, the diaper changes, and around the clock feedings, but she would give anything for those things.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door. She turned around and gave her visitor permission to enter the room.

The door opened and Booth walked in.

She blinked and glanced at the clock. There was no way it had been an hour already. She hadn't been thinking _that_ hard as to lose track of time, had she? No. "Booth, what are you doing here? And where is Christine?"

"I—well, I lied. I didn't take her to the park. She's at home with Max and everybody else."

She furrowed her brow. "Why did you lie? And what are you talking about? What do you mean she's at home with my father and everybody else? Who is everybody else?"

"You know, Angela, Hodgins, Cam, Aubrey—the gang." He paused and looked down to the baby carrier he was holding, the carrier Brennan had failed to notice in all her confusion. "You see, they're there to welcome you," he paused, adjusting his grip on the handle, "and Blue home."

"Booth, I am not up for a party. I'm tired and I was looking forward to a quiet night at home with just you and Christine. I haven't been home in over a month and all I want to do right now is take a bath and sleep. Hosting a party is not something I planned on doing this evening," she answered, completely missing what he said.

"I'm not sure how _quiet _our evening is going to be, Bones, but they'll probably only stay for an hour or two. Like you said, you haven't been home in a month. Our friends just want to welcome you home."

"I plan on having a very quiet evening, Booth," she argued. "A quiet, uninterrupted evening."

"Uninterrupted? That's not going to happen, Bones, especially with a baby needing to eat every couple of hours." He laughed.

"What—?" Her eyes finally focused on the baby carrier. "Booth?"

He smiled. "Surprise?" He paused. "Blue's coming home, Bones!"

She swallowed. "She's—." Her knees buckled and she fell back onto the edge of the bed. "She's coming home?"

He nodded. "Yep. She got the all clear. Her discharge has been in the works since yesterday." He walked over to her and set the carrier on the bed beside her. He pulled the blanket away from Blue's chin and smiled down at the baby. "You hear that, Blue? You're coming home." He paused. "You just sit tight. I gotta help Mom pack her stuff up and then we're blowing this pop stand, Princess."

"Booth, this is a hospital."

He winked at her and clapped his hands together. "Chop, chop, Bones. We've got people waiting for us at home."

She looked over at Blue and reached out to stroke her cheek. "How's Bear? I would like to go see him before we leave." Even though she was surprised with Blue's discharge, she'd be even more shocked if Bear was coming home, as well.

He stopped packing up all the stuffed animals and cards, and looked at her. "He's okay, but he's still feeling crappy. His oxygen levels aren't great and he's still got a lot of fluid in his lungs. His fever hasn't broken yet either and he's not eating much."

She nodded.

He came over to her and rested his hand on her shoulder. "He's going to be okay, Bones. Bear's strong; this won't knock the little guy down. I mean, he practically picked his own birthday; you can't get any more badass than that."

She smiled and turned back to her suitcase. She was moving slower than she was before, a bit distracted. She jumped when she felt Booth's hand on her shoulder again. She twisted her body to face him and looked up at him, her vision blurred by tears.

"Go see him, Bones. I'll finish here."

She shook her head. "No, no, I'm okay. You need help."

"I've got help." He looked over at Blue. "Right, Blue?"

"Booth, she's five weeks old. Lu is not capable of assisting you."

"Go see him."

She sighed. "I wish he was coming home today."

"Me too, but hey, you're going home and so is this little bean. That's something to celebrate, huh?"

She nodded.

"If it weren't for the pneumonia, we'd be bringing him home today, too." He smiled. "Blue's just competitive, Bones. She's been proving that since before she was born. She wanted us to know she was a girl before we knew Bear was a boy, she wanted to be born first, and you bet she wasn't going to let Bear come home before she did."

"I'm not sure that's entirely true, but it is an amusing thought." She paused. "I'm going to go visit Bear now. I will be back soon."

"Take your time."

"What about the welcome home party?"

"I'll call Angela and tell her we're going to be late."

She nodded.

"It wasn't my idea, the party, I mean. You know Angela."

"I know, Booth."

"The second you say so, I'll kick everyone out."

She smiled. "I know that too." With that, she left the room.

* * *

Brennan had told Booth she would be back soon, but when an hour went by and she still hadn't returned, he grew worried. He left Blue with a capable nurse and hurried up to the NICU. Upon entering his son's room, he smiled. There was Brennan, asleep in the rocker, her body turned to face Bear's crib. He walked over and knelt down beside her. Shaking her slightly, he whispered, "Bones? Hey, Bones, wake up."

Brennan stirred, rolling onto her back and stretching, her eyes still closed. "Hmm," she mumbled.

"Bones?"

She opened her eyes and squinted at him. "Huh—Booth?" She sat up quickly and struggled to tear the blanket off of her.

"You've been gone over an hour. I got worried. Are you ready to go or do you want to spend some more time with him?" He stepped over to the crib and peered over the side, looking down at the pale baby boy. "Poor little guy," he said, hearing the newborn wheeze.

"If I don't leave now, I'll be here all night and as much as I want to stay with him until he gets discharged, I—I'd really like to go home."

"I called Angela. I told her to postpone the celebration. We'll get everyone together once T comes home."

"You did?" She smiled.

He nodded. "I know our evening might not be exactly quiet, but I just want to enjoy you and Blue being home, enjoy us being one step closer to being a complete family. And you're right, I'm not up for entertaining anybody either. Let's just go home. You can take a bath, we'll pop in a movie or something, order takeout, and relax."

"Thank you, Booth."

"No problem."

She stood up and closed the gap between them. She wrapped her arms around him and sighed into his shoulder as she hugged him close. "I've missed you."

He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tighter. "You have no idea how happy I am that you're coming home, Bones. It sucks that we can't take our little guy home, too, but having you and Blue home is—it's amazing. I love you."

She tilted her head back and looked into his eyes. "I love you too." She rose up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his, her arms still around his waist. "Take us home, Booth."

He nodded and let his arms fall away. He turned to face the crib again and reached in, brushing some of Bear's dark hair back under his knit cap. "See ya later, Bear. Stay strong, T." He pressed his index and middle fingers together and kissed them before touching them to Bear's cheek. "Love you, Little Guy."

She said her goodbyes next and by the time she left the room, she was barely keeping it together. Leaving Bear, especially in the state he was in, was more difficult than she thought it would be.

Booth stopped just outside the room and turned towards Brennan. He caught her arm, stopping her. He didn't say anything, just pulled her into a quick hug. He slid his hand down her arm and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. He turned forward again and paused, waiting for her to be ready.

She let out a breath and looked back at the room once last time before returning the squeeze and nodding at him.

The two continued towards the NICU exit and left. A half hour later, they were in the SUV, Brennan in the back, keeping a close eye on a sleeping Blue, as Booth drove home, frequently looking at his wife and baby daughter in the rearview mirror.

* * *

**_We've reached the end of this fic. This will be the last chapter, with an Epilogue to follow. Thank you for all the reviews/follows/favorites. This had started as a hiatus fic and the original plan was to finish before the show returned for the second half of season 10. That obviously didn't happen, so I appreciate you guys for putting up with my crazy update schedule and I hope you enjoyed the story._**

**_That being said, I have two story ideas I've been toying around with. One takes place in Season 2-3 and centers around a favor an imprisoned Max asks of Brennan. The other is a bit out there; it involves a random/unknown couple, an overheard conversation, and surrogacy. Both are obviously AU. I will probably end up writing both of them, but it's just a matter of which one I'll start with. The update schedule for those fics will likely be even crazier than this one because I'll be starting an online technical/professional writing course soon which will take up a lot of my free time. _**

**_Anyway, thank you again._**


	31. Epilogue

**_Well, we have reached the end of the story...hope you enjoyed the journey :)_**

* * *

Brennan sat on the couch in her office with her laptop open to a blank word document, and a pile of notes in various forms, most written on colored post-its, a few on Disney Princess stationary, and some on loose-leaf paper and napkins, in front of her. Her focus was split between the blinking cursor and her almost twelve-month-old twins, who were crawling around in a blowup kiddie pool a foot away where the coffee table usually stood. She looked up again quickly when she heard Blue scream, only to find the brunette, brown-eyed baby girl smiling and pulling on her brother's dark blonde curls. She let out a breath. "Lu, don't pull T's hair, please."

In response, Blue stared at Brennan and squealed. "Mama!" She planted her hands on the floor of the pool and picked herself up, getting into a 'downward dog' pose before inching her hands and feet closer together and standing up. She clapped and marched in place. "Mama!"

Brennan sighed, smiling at the infant, who was itching to take her first steps unassisted. "Hello, Lu."

Blue fell back down onto her butt and crawled over to the edge of the pool. She tumbled out, sprawling across the rug, giggling.

Brennan shook her head. "What are you doing?"

Blue covered her eyes with her hands and then pulled them away. "Boo!"

Brennan looked from Blue to Bear who was sitting quietly in the kiddie pool stacking his rubber blocks. The babies couldn't be more different. While they both inherited Booth's warm brown eyes, Bear favored Brennan and Blue was the spitting image of her father. Bear was quiet and Blue was loud. There was no question who the alpha twin was; Blue established herself as the top dog early on. She was always stealing Bear's toys, climbing all over him, pulling his socks off, yanking on his hair, and demanding attention from everyone. She even took off his diaper a couple of times. She was small, but she was a force to be reckoned with. She earned herself the nickname Hurricane the second she started scooting around. Booth liked to joke that she was singlehandedly responsible for every gray hair on his head. She preferred messy foods, puréed peas, avocado, and spaghetti amongst her absolute favorites.

Bear, on the other hand, was a very calm baby; he was their thinker. He always had a serious expression on his face. He'd take all the toys out of the toy bin, look at them for a second or two, and then place them to the side until he found the one he wanted the most. He said 'Mama' months before he learned 'Dada'. He didn't lose interest in things as quickly as his sister; he was fine playing with the same toy for hours and almost always sat for an entire story, especially if his big brother was the one reading it to him. He was their laidback baby, but he had a mischievous side to him. The laundry basket was his favorite place; he'd climb into a basket full of clothes (clean _or _dirty) and bury himself in it or he'd just sit in it and throw as many articles of clothing out of it as he could before he was caught. He refused to eat anything besides cheerios and chicken nuggets, so meal times were a bit of a struggle.

Brennan felt a light tugging on her shirt sleeve and when she looked down, she was staring into the dark eyes of her daughter. "Yes, Lu?"

"Hi!" Blue climbed into Brennan's lap and snuggled in close.

Brennan wrapped her arms around the infant and leaned over, kissing the top of her head. She adjusted the purple bow in Blue's hair and her work was forgotten as she rocked the baby back and forth.

Bear crawled over seconds later and squeezed his way onto Brennan's lap.

The twins promptly fell asleep and Brennan realized she was stuck. They were heavy sleepers (thankfully), but she wasn't about to risk it. She wasn't even technically supposed to have them here, but the daycare was closed for at least a week due to necessary renovations, Booth was in meetings all day, and Max was unavailable, so she had no choice. It helped that Blue and Bear were cute because Cam couldn't resist their chubby cheeks and leg rolls.

Brennan scooted back and propped herself up against her couch, keeping the twins as still as possible. She sighed and closed her eyes. Her editor was just going to have to wait for the next three chapters. Though it didn't pay the bills, being a mother was her most important job and it took precedence over everything else.

* * *

Brennan had fallen asleep and was woken up by a flash going off. She groaned and opened her eyes, blinking. Feeling the weight of the babies still on her lap, she turned her head towards the door and whispered, "Did you just take a picture, Angela?"

Angela smiled, nodding. She sat on the couch and showed Brennan the picture of the sleeping trio. "You guys are so cute."

Brennan smiled. "Will you send me that picture? Oh, and send it to Booth, as well. He's in meetings all day and he always says how much he misses the babies when he's at work."

Angela nodded. "Will do, Sweetie, but seriously, those little babes are adorable. They make me want another one."

"Thank you?"

Angela laughed. "So they've got a big birthday coming up."

"I am aware, Angela."

"Have you and Booth discussed how you're going to handle that? I mean, they were born more than a month apart. That's got to complicate things, right?"

Brennan nodded, smoothing her hands over each of their heads. "Booth and I think it is important to celebrate their birthdays separately; however, we still plan on having joint birthday parties. On their actual birthdays, we will be having a special dinner as a family. When they get older, they'll be able to choose where we eat and what we do on those days."

"Have you thought about their first birthday party?"

"Booth wants to 'go big'. He says it's an important milestone, especially because of the circumstances surrounding their births. I am not discounting the significance, but I do not believe having a huge party is necessary."

"Oh, come on, Bren."

Brennan shrugged. "What? These kinds of celebrations are for parents, relatives, and close family friends. Just as funerals are for the living, not the dead."

"You did not just compare a kid's first birthday party to a funeral, Sweetie."

"Lu and T won't remember it."

"Who cares? And so what if these parties are for the parents? You survived the first year, that's worth celebrating." Angela paused. "Speaking of that, I have a present for them."

Brennan raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. "It's not their birthday yet, Angela."

"I know, but I can't wait. It's for you, really."

"Me?"

"And Booth. Wait here."

Brennan smirked. "Where am I going to go, Angela?"

"Good point, Sweetie." Angela stood up and headed over to the door. "I'll be right back." She quickly went to her office and returned with the present, a dark blue blanket draped over it. "Since you've got your hands full, I'll do the honors." She yanked off the cover to reveal a large canvas with an enlarged picture of the babies in footie pajamas, Blue in pale pink and Bear in light grey. They were outside, sitting in the grass. In front of them was a framed picture, split in two, showing them as newborns in the NICU.

Brennan gasped, her eyes drawn to the framed picture. She'd almost forgotten what they had looked like then. Blue was intubated in the picture and looked so fragile, not like the laughing, wide-eyed girl sitting in the grass reaching up to catch a butterfly that was flying above her head. Bear was deathly pale and wore an oxygen mask, looking nothing like the chunky, bright-eyed boy staring right into the camera. "Angela—." She swallowed, blinking back tears. "I—thank you."

"You're welcome."

"When did you—when was that picture taken?" Brennan asked, referring to the one of the babies in the grass.

"I did a mini photoshoot about a week ago. You and Booth were out saving the universe. I've got so many other pictures. I saved them on a disk for you."

Brennan nodded. "Thank you. I—thank you. I love my gift, Angela. I mean, their gift."

Angela smiled, setting the canvas down and leaning over to hug Brennan. "They're great models, Bren. I can't believe it's been a year. It's crazy." She paused and sat down on the floor. "So back to the party. Let's talk themes—." She was cut off by a knock on Brennan's door. She slipped out when Booth entered.

* * *

Brennan looked up and smiled, not expecting her husband. "Hello, Booth."

Booth narrowed his eyes at his wife. "What's wrong? You were crying."

She shook her head. "I'm fine. Angela just—she gave the twins their birthday gift early." She motioned to the canvas leaning up against her desk.

He walked over to it and picked it up, taking a closer look. He swallowed and shook his head, his eyes darkening as he focused on the framed picture. He refused to go _there. _They were fine. Everything was fine. Blue and Bear were no longer those small, fragile newborns. He looked away and then refocused on the most recent photograph of the babies. He reached out and brushed his hand across their enlarged faces, a single tear running down his cheek. Even though it was only a picture, he knew Blue was laughing. Bear was having a stare down with the camera, most likely oblivious to everything else around him, including his sister.

"Booth?" She called to him. He hadn't said anything for at least five minutes and she was concerned.

He cleared his throat and looked at her. "I love you."

She raised an eyebrow. "Where did that come from?" She sighed. "I love you too, Booth."

He came over to her and fell to his knees. Overwhelmed, he pressed his lips hard against hers and kissed her. He pulled away and then planted soft kisses to each of the twins' foreheads.

"Booth, stop, you'll wake them."

He shook his head. "I don't care, Bones." He kissed them again and again and then settled on the floor beside her, his back against the couch, his shoulder touching hers. "Look at them," he said, taking Blue's tiny hand in his hand. The baby stirred slightly, but remained asleep. He ran his thumb over her fingers and let out a breath. "Just look at them."

She glanced down at Blue and Bear and ran her hand over Bear's blonde hair.

"Thank you, Bones."

"For what?"

"For them, for Christine, for being there for Parker, for giving me all of this. Just thank you."

She let her head fall to his shoulder. "I should be thanking you, Booth. You gave me a family. You gave me my family back." She let out a breath. "We can do the big party. If that's what you want, we can 'go big or go home' or whatever it was that you said."

He nodded.

"Christine suggested Candy Land when I was tucking her in last night."

"Not now. We'll talk about that later."

She nodded. "Okay." She paused. "What time does Parker's flight come in?"

"Six."

"I'm looking forward to seeing him again."

"Me too, Bones, it's been too long. It'll be great to have the whole family together." He shook his head. "We're a family of six. I still can't believe it, Bones. I was happy just having Parker. I thought he was the only kid I was going to have and I was okay with that. I'm a father of four. Wow. Pops would have loved these guys. Blue looks a little like Grams."

She smiled.

"I hope he's proud of me."

"He is." She closed her eyes. "I miss Hank, too."

"If we have another boy, you think we could name him after Pops?"

Her eyes popped open and she stared at him. "If we have another? We are not having any more children, Booth. It hasn't even been twelve-months and three is plenty."

"I'll settle for a dog."

"A dog." She smiled. "Yes, a dog. Okay. Someday."

He nodded. "Then that's settled. We're getting a dog."

She laughed, rolling her eyes. "I said someday, Booth, not now."

"Someday, today? What's the difference?"

"We'll discuss this again once Lu and T are potty-trained."

He looked down at the babies. "All right, you two, get up. We've got some work to do. Operation 'Get Blue and Bear Potty-Trained ASAP' is a go."

She pushed against his shoulder. "Booth, stop. You know they're not ready for that."

"I'm joking, Bones. I don't want these two to grow up any faster than they already are. I'd freeze time if I could."

Their moment was broken by Blue stirring on Brennan's lap. Without even opening her eyes, she reached for Booth and mumbled 'Dada'.

He picked her up and held her against his chest, her head against his shoulder, her face pressed into his neck. He rubbed her back and kissed her hair. "Hi, Blue," he whispered, though he knew the baby had already fallen back to sleep. "That's my girl."

Brennan shifted and repositioned Bear so that he was cradled in her arms more. She looked down at the sleeping boy and brushed her thumb across his chest. If only she could freeze time, as well.

* * *

**_THANK YOU! Until next time..._**


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